Soccer-LaLiga's Tebas says Man City should face severe punishment after rule breach findings

LaLiga president Javier Tebas said on Tuesday Manchester City should face the harshest punishments available after findings of long-running financial rule breaches, arguing the case should serve as a warning to clubs across Europe. On Monday, ‌a soccer source confirmed media reports that an independent panel had found City guilty of all but one of 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

City, who have always denied any wrongdoing, could face sanctions ranging from fines and a points deduction to ‌relegation. "I've been raising concerns about Manchester City for many years.

I did so in 2017 at Soccerex. I said it then; neither City nor the Premier League at the time liked it," Tebas said.

Speaking to reporters between sessions of the Peak Performance & Health Summit, co-hosted in London by global players' union FIFPRO and The Cleveland Clinic, Tebas said the case had implications far ‌beyond English football. "Now it has been shown that there was ongoing non-compliance dating back to 2009," he said.

"We're trying to make football sustainable and clean across all competitions. As ‌many clubs are saying, titles were lost that shouldn't have been lost to other clubs.

What has happened is very important, and we hope it marks a turning point, not just for the Premier League. "The Manchester City case has implications across Europe, particularly regarding financial doping.

There should be a punishment that sets an example." Tebas said the length of time over which the rules had allegedly been broken warranted a tough response. "Breaking them for ⁠more than 10 years.

"The punishment ⁠should therefore be severe, not only to set an example, but because the rules were broken."

Premier League clubs are seeking legal advice about compensation, according to British media reports.

Tebas was asked whether teams from other European leagues ⁠might follow suit.