Man City Appeal Must Conclude By Mid-December — SkimNews
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- Manchester City submitted their appeal against the Premier League's guilty verdict on Thursday, October 1, 2026, two weeks after the independent commission's findings were published.
- Under Premier League rules introduced this season, the appeal must be heard within 12 weeks of being lodged and last no longer than five days, held over a Monday-to-Friday block.
- Manchester City may attempt to delay the process by arguing the new appeal-timing rules shouldn't apply, since the club was originally charged in 2023—three years before those rules were introduced.
- A separate sanctions hearing will be decided by the same three-person panel that presided over the original 42-day hearing in 2024, and both the Premier League and City can appeal the resulting sanctions decision.
- Most legal experts expect City to lose the appeal, citing the 'damning' judgment and the fact that City cannot introduce new evidence or call witnesses.
- If the appeal fails, City are expected to escalate to the High Court to argue the entire process has been unfair, and any expulsion from the Premier League would also require a vote among the other 19 clubs.
Why it matters: With the appeal locked into a mid-December deadline and most legal experts expecting City to lose, the club's likely next move is a High Court challenge—keeping this saga in the courts for years. Expulsion would also require a vote among the other 19 clubs, and Sky notes the longer City stay top of the table while fighting the case, the more uncomfortable the delay becomes for the Premier League.
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