Jamie Carragher has urged the Premier League to resolve Manchester City’s punishment as quickly as possible, insisting any sanctions must be imposed during the current season.
Man City were found guilty by an independent commission of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules, but have appealed the decision.
A separate hearing will determine the sanctions if the verdict ultimately stands.
Immediate decision
Carragher believes the process cannot be allowed to drag on, arguing that Man City must be affected before the start of next season.
“Now that we know that they’re guilty, yes, there’s an appeal, but now that they’ve got a big guilty verdict initially, now I don’t think anybody wants to wait,” Carragher told Sky Sports News.
“It has to be done this season, because Man City need to be affected for next season.”
The former Liverpool defender also questioned the legitimacy of the current Premier League title race if Man City were allowed to complete the campaign without facing consequences for the breaches established by the commission.
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Current season a ‘sham’
“I know the word at the moment is sham; it’ll almost make the Premier League of this season, the title to be won would be a sham, if Man City went on to win that league with what we know has gone on,” he added.
Carragher’s comments come after Man City formally lodged their appeal against the commission’s findings on October 2.
The appeal will be heard by an independent Appeal Board, while the sanctions process remains separate.
The commission found that Man City had arranged “sham” commercial agreements which artificially inflated revenues and reduced costs by more than £900m, while also finding the club significantly breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits.
“So it has to be done this season,” Carragher concluded.
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