Hull City owner calls for strong penalty if City breaches proven

Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı said Manchester City should face strong punishment if it is proven to have breached Premier League financial rules, comparing such violations to doping in sport. He stressed that he was not judging City guilty, and the case remains unresolved: the commission’s findings have not been published and no sanction has been announced. Speaking on the 1904 Club podcast, Ilıcalı said a meaningful penalty would be needed to deter other clubs from breaking rules. He argued that unauthorized spending could widen the existing financial gap between wealthier clubs and teams with smaller budgets. His comparison to doping was conditional on the allegations being proven, rather than a conclusion about City’s conduct. Reports say an independent commission has found City guilty of most of the charges brought by the Premier League. However, the decision and its scope have not been made public, and the precise number of charges upheld remains unclear. The allegations concern the period from 2009 to 2018, when City won three Premier League titles and eight trophies overall, according to reports.