The exchange focused on whether 15 Premier League clubs could invoke Rule B6 and vote the newly convicted club out of competition immediately, according to reporting by The Independent’s Miguel Delaney.

“This is a farce that will lead to protest, damage to the integrity and reputation of the competition, and possibly even violence,” one Premier League executive wrote in the exchange.

The option was ruled almost impossible to enforce. Manchester City would challenge any immediate suspension in the High Court and, by the executives’ own assessment, almost certainly win reinstatement. The vote would collapse before it reached a matchday.

The verdict that opened the door

The talks followed the ruling the Premier League confirmed on 29 September 2026, when an independent commission found City guilty of serious breaches of financial rules across nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The commission said the club used “sham” contracts with commercial partners to inflate revenues by more than £900m, filed misstated accounts and “made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the PL investigation.”

Read also: Cadillac tipped for surprise F1 driver change despite confirmed 2027 line-up

City lodged an appeal on 1 October 2026, insisting the ruling contains “clear material errors of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.”

Sanctions, including the possibility of suspension or expulsion, will be decided in a separate hearing by an independent commission. That mechanism, not a vote of rival clubs, is where any suspension would have to come from.

City win 3-0 at Liverpool while convicted

The messages followed a scene at Anfield earlier on Sunday. City won 3-0 at Liverpool, with Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki all scoring inside a 16-minute spell after a second yellow card for Ryan Gravenberch reduced the hosts to 10.

A side convicted of 100-plus financial charges kept playing, kept winning and was still being cheered by travelling fans. Another senior football figure described the overall picture to Delaney as “sitting in purgatory.”

Read also: ‘The one that comes first’: Rooney’s two-club ultimatum on a return to management

Twelve weeks to decide the appeal

Enzo Maresca’s side resumes European play in midweek in a competition outside the Premier League’s jurisdiction. On the domestic front, City’s appeal must conclude within 12 weeks under the Premier League Handbook, with a sanctions decision due within 30 days afterwards.

Read also: Gary Neville makes feelings clear on Man City with unusual Sky Sports request