Senior figures call for Manchester City punishment to be delivered before season end

Senior football figures have told BBC Sport that Manchester City's punishment for breaching Premier League rules should be handed down before the end of this season, after the Premier League on Tuesday said City had been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The charges included artificially inflating revenue by more than £900m through "sham" sponsorship deals.

Manchester City won eight trophies during the period for which they were investigated, and the club have repeatedly denied guilt. City have signalled an intent to lodge an appeal by the end of this week, while the process has taken three years since they were charged. The Premier League's statement formally announcing the guilty verdicts read on Monday said it wants the process to be "concluded as soon as possible".

One anonymous club official told BBC Sport: "It benefits everyone for this to be resolved as quickly as possible." The same official added: "Instinctively yes, but it has to be done right. "We can all see what the risks are if it's not. But those risks have been there throughout the process, as they've won the league multiple times during it." Another source said the process "should" be resolved by the end of the season and hoped any appeal would be "compressed".

The final decision on punishment rests with an independent commission, with the Premier League board and Manchester City able to suggest a suitable sanction before the panel makes its ruling. There is increasing desire among clubs for the case to be completed by the end of the season amid concerns that leaving City to finish a campaign without a sanction could create uncertainty. One section of the Premier League regulations states an appeal should conclude no more than 12 weeks after it is filed and that a decision should be made within 30 days of its end, and procedures can be hurried to meet deadlines such as the end of a league season.

Ferran Soriano has suggested the case will run for a long time. Manchester City cannot make a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but could potentially claim the process was not impartial at the High Court.

City have indicated they will file an appeal by the end of this week, and the independent commission will consider any proposals on punishment from both the Premier League board and the club before issuing its decision.