Gary Neville made the request live during Sky Sports’ broadcast of Liverpool 0-3 Manchester City.
“This is the first Manchester City game that I have done today since the charges or guilty verdicts were handed out a few weeks ago,” he told viewers. “We were just doing the podcast then and said if you could take me off Manchester City games moving forward for the next few months until the verdicts have been heard, I would be absolutely delighted.”
The verdict Neville was referring to arrived on 26 September, when a Premier League independent commission ruled that City had committed serious financial breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The commission found the club had arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners and inflated revenues by more than £900m. City deny wrongdoing and have lodged a comprehensive appeal.
Under new Premier League rules the appeal must be concluded within 12 weeks, with the panel then given 30 days to deliver a judgement, meaning a decision is expected by January 2027, though the Christmas break could push the announcement into early February. Until then every point City collect counts in the table, with potential sanctions still ranging from a fine to a points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League.
Read also: “Whatever it takes”: Manchester United urged to make blockbuster Harry Kane move
Haaland, Doku and Cherki on the scoresheet
Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki all scored at Anfield, with City dominating after a red card for Liverpool. Neville said on air that City had “dominated the game in the last 20 minutes, from the red card onwards” and praised Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rúben Dias and the defensive block for standing “strong as a group” in the first half.
The result put City three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
‘Football has become secondary’
Neville’s request did not land in isolation. Since the 26 September ruling, English and European columnists have questioned what Premier League results mean while the appeal is still open. The Telegraph described the league as a “farce” and The Guardian wrote that “football has become secondary” when City win, both quoted in Goal.com’s round-up of the match reaction. BBC Radio has debated the league’s credibility on air, and L’Équipe wrote that a Liverpool-City result that would once have led European sports pages has been pushed into the background by the legal process.
The counter-argument is procedural. Until the appeal is heard, City remain a Premier League club in good standing, play fixtures that count, and will keep playing them. The commission’s finding on serious breaches of the financial rules does not alter that; only the final sanction decision will.
Read also: Cucurella’s message to referee after Vinicius red card comes with an awkward twist
January is the target
The appeal panel is working to a January 2027 target for its verdict, with Sky Sports reporting the decision could extend to around 8 February 2027 because of the Christmas court break. That is the window by which the Premier League expects to know, in sporting terms, what Manchester City’s 2026-27 season is actually worth.
Read also: Seedorf in charge: four-time Champions League winner takes over new club
