La Liga president, Javier Tebas, has called for Manchester City to receive the “most severe sanction” available if the Premier League club is found guilty of breaching financial regulations.
Reports on Friday claimed that an independent panel had found City guilty of all but one of 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League rules.
However, the English top flight has yet to make an official announcement on the matter, while no punishment has been confirmed.
City have consistently denied the allegations, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak reiterating the club’s confidence that it would ultimately be vindicated.
Possible sanctions could include a significant points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League, while some clubs are reportedly seeking legal advice over potential compensation.
Speaking at a football performance and health summit in London on Tuesday, Tebas said he had raised concerns about City since 2017 and argued that the club should face severe punishment if the breaches are established.
“To have been breaking the rules for more than 10 years, however minor the breaches may have been, is very serious,” he said.
“So there has to be a severe punishment for breaking the rules, not just to set an example, but because the rules were broken.”
Tebas also said the outcome could have wider implications for football across Europe.
“What has happened is very important, and hopefully it will be a before-and-after moment, not just in the Premier League but in European football as well, because the Manchester effect was an effect across all of Europe.”
The La Liga chief further urged the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reconsider its decision to overturn a two-year European ban imposed on City by UEFA in 2020.
“In my opinion, the decisions of the CAS should be reviewed, because they lifted the sanction that UEFA had imposed on them (City),” he said.
“The sanctions were also lifted in a very questionable way. And now it has been shown that UEFA was right about the sanctions it had imposed on Manchester City.”
City have enjoyed a sustained period of success since Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group took over the club in 2008, winning eight Premier League titles, one Champions League trophy and several other major honours.
