Man City sanctions: what happens next, 12-week appeal clock

Man City sanctions have not been decided yet, and the process that will set them could run into 2027.

The independent commission’s findings, published on 29 September, were a major development in the Premier League’s case. But deciding which rules Manchester City breached and deciding their punishment are separate stages. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed.

That leaves supporters with two questions: whether the findings will survive the appeal, and what consequences would follow. The widely reported 12-week timetable concerns the appeal hearing. It does not provide a confirmed date for announcing a points deduction or any other sanction.

City’s football continues against that uncertainty. Erling Haaland has urged supporters to stick together, while his two goals in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Ipswich maintained their perfect Premier League start.

Man City sanctions: the timeline from verdict to decision

The Premier League brought its complaint in February 2023. On 29 September 2026, it published the commission’s findings of serious financial breaches covering the nine seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18, alongside the majority of its non-cooperation findings.

City lodged their appeal at 7pm on Thursday 1 October. In their statement, they said the decision contained errors of law, principle and fact, described it as “unsafe” and maintained their innocence.

Date or stage	What it means
29 September 2026	Commission’s findings published
1 October 2026	City lodged their appeal
24 December 2026	Hearing deadline calculated under the standard 84-day timetable
January 2027	A decision could follow if the hearing and subsequent decision period run their full standard course
Separate sanctions hearing	No confirmed date established in the public announcements checked

The handbook allows the appeal board to vary or disapply its standard directions. These dates therefore describe the normal timetable, rather than an announced schedule for City’s case.

How the appeal works

A three-person appeal board, appointed by the chair of the Premier League’s independent Judicial Panel, will consider City’s challenge. Its chair must have held judicial office. The Premier League says proceedings will remain private until publication of the outcome is permitted.

Under the standard directions, the hearing must finish within 12 weeks of filing, last no more than five days and be heard in one block. A decision with written reasons must then follow within 30 days of the hearing’s final day.

That explains why even the standard process could extend into January. It also explains why Christmas Eve should not be presented as the day supporters will necessarily learn City’s punishment.

Sky Sports has reported that City could challenge the application of appeal rules introduced this season to proceedings that began earlier. That remains a possible argument, rather than confirmation that the timetable has been extended.

The board can uphold, overturn or vary the commission’s decision. City cannot take this Premier League appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, although Sky reports that a court challenge concerning the fairness of the process could remain possible.

What the sanctions hearing could decide

The Premier League has confirmed that punishment will be considered at a further hearing before the independent commission. The public findings therefore do not themselves establish a points deduction.

Available measures include a reprimand, a fine, points deductions and other sporting sanctions. The commission can also recommend expulsion. Both sides have rights to challenge sanctions through the appeal process.

At the hearing, the Premier League will argue for the punishment it considers appropriate and City will put forward their response. The commission then decides. As Sky’s explanation of the process makes clear, there is no published calculation that turns these findings into a fixed penalty.

Previous cases show why an initial punishment need not be the final one. Everton’s first deduction in 2023/24 was reduced from 10 points to six on appeal. Nottingham Forest’s four-point deduction survived their challenge in May 2024, while Leicester’s appeal against a six-point penalty was dismissed in April 2026.

Those outcomes offer examples of how appeals can change a season. They do not provide a reliable points forecast for City: this commission made findings about commercial agreements, financial reporting and cooperation over several years, which must be assessed on their own terms.

Could City be expelled?

Expulsion is available under the rules, but it would require a further decision by the clubs.

Rule B.6 requires support from at least three-quarters of eligible members who vote. If all 20 clubs vote, that means 15 votes in favour. The commission can recommend expulsion; that recommendation would still need the required support.

Expulsion would also leave a different problem from relegation following a points deduction. City would lose their Premier League membership, and their route back into the football pyramid would require further decisions involving the FA and EFL. A Championship place would not automatically follow.

For supporters trying to judge what comes next, the useful developments will be confirmed appeal arrangements and a sanctions-hearing date. Until those are public, any precise punishment or completion date remains a prediction.

Information checked on 18 October 2026.