Meet the people set for key role in deciding Man City fate

Manchester City have been sponsored by Etihad since May 2009

They are the five individuals at the Premier League set to play a key role in the fate of Manchester City.

The competition’s board has the responsibility of recommending a punishment after the seismic news in September of the club being found guilty of breaching financial rules by an independent commission.

While that three-person commission panel will ultimately decide on a sanction, the Premier League’s submission will be considered, along with the view of City of course, who maintain their innocence and have appealed.

It is not known when a sanction hearing will take place, nor what sanction the Premier League will want for what it describes as the most significant disciplinary case in its history, with a fine, points deduction, expulsion or the stripping of past titles all possible.

So who makes up the Premier League’s board, and how have their recommendations over punishments been received in past disciplinary cases?

BBC Sport has taken a close look.

Among various roles and responsibilities, the board is the entity responsible for prosecuting breaches of Premier League rules.

It comprises the league’s chair, chief executive, and three independent non-executive directors, with no club representatives included - in order to provide independence and neutrality.

Alison Brittain has kept a low profile since becoming the league’s first female chair almost four years ago. Formerly a senior executive in the hospitality and financial services sectors, she is also chair and trustee of The King’s Trust Group.

Described as “sensible” by one acquaintance, in September she spoke at a university event, revealing that she was initially sceptical about joining the Premier League because she had never worked in sport.

Two senior club executives - the former Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham (now at Spurs), and ex-Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow - told her that her skillset was what the league needed, helping to persuade her to apply.

She said: “They actually spent some time talking to me and saying ‘we aren’t looking for a super fan. In fact we’re looking for the exact opposite - somebody who will bring a different mindset. A business mindset, governance standards, be able to reset us a little bit into a different way’…and so I then went through the process and ended up in the job.”

Describing herself as a “lifelong Manchester United fan [who] stood in the Stretford End before it had seats, as a kid” because of her family’s allegiance, Brittain is now also a Brentford supporter. In 2025, she received unanimous backing from the 20 clubs to continue for a second three-year stint.

Speaking in 2024, Brittain acknowledged the league was “not without its challenges”. But she has hailed what she describes as “the most exciting competition in the world”, and its global appeal, calling it an “enormous soft power asset” for the country.

She also recently said that “the whole point of running the league… is to make sure the competitive balance stays really good. Because what makes us successful is this virtuous circle of anyone could win any match any day… there has to be jeopardy.”

She added: “Someone has to care about keeping that balance, because if you ask the clubs they’d rather not have that balance because they’d like to win all the time.”

When asked if that was her job, she replied: “Absolutely. That’s my job.”

According to Purslow, Brittain has “extremely good people skills and diplomacy in a role where keeping 20 owners more or less happy is not an easy job. She is a very down to earth, straightforward person, and that plays well.”

The league’s chief executive since 2019, Richard Masters is a much more familiar face to football fans.

When the independent commission’s ‘core decision’ on City was announced in September, he said it “vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case”, and that the league has “a key responsibility… to ensure that the rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition”.

He added that it was “paramount that the league remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.”

Masters said: “There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the league, our clubs and fans.”

Reportedly having grown up an Aston Villa fan, in 2024 Masters assured a parliamentary committee that “the Premier League board applies the rules consistently, irrespective of the club in question”.

The board is completed with three other directors:

Mai Fyfield - a former Sky executive who during her 20-year career at the company led its bidding for three Premier League TV cycles, and currently sits on the board of BBC Commercial.

Dharmash Mistry - a technology venture capitalist and entrepreneur who also has experience of working with the BBC as a former non-executive director at the corporation. Mistry is “smart and theoretical” according to one colleague. He chairs the Premier League’s audit and finance committee and is its representative on the FA’s board.

Matthew Ryder - a senior barrister, part-time judge and a former deputy mayor of London when he had responsibility for social mobility and social engagement. He is also a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian newspaper, alongside other non-executive roles. Describing himself as “a longstanding and passionate football fan”, he also chairs the league’s legal advisory group. He told a conference last year that his membership of the Premier League board had been “deeply rewarding… it’s a fascinating time to be in football.”

BBC Sport has approached the board members via the Premier League, but it declined to comment.

The Manchester City case is unique in its scale, and so it is uncertain how relevant previous cases are when looking at the kind of sanctions the Premier League has recommended. But it is clear that independent commissions do not necessarily agree with the Premier League’s board when it comes to clubs’ potential punishments.

In 2023, the league argued for a 12-point sanction for Everton after the club breached financial rules, with a commission then settling on a 10-point punishment instead, which was reduced to six points on appeal.

In 2024, the Premier League suggested that Nottingham Forest should be docked eight points over a larger PSR overspend, but the commission again disagreed, settling on a four-point punishment.

This year the Premier League argued that an appropriate sanction for Leicester City - for an overspend in 2023-24 - was a 12-point deduction to be applied in the Championship. The independent commission instead recommended that a six-point deduction be imposed by the EFL.

There is also an alternative to contested proceedings.

Earlier this year the Premier League board reached a ‘sanctions agreement’ with Chelsea which resulted in a £10m fine and suspended transfer ban after admitting making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties over transfers between 2011 and 2018.

The league said: “When considering the appropriate sanction, the board noted that the club’s proactive self-reporting, admissions of breach and exceptional co-operation throughout the investigation acted as significant mitigating factors.”

'Most difficult days of my life' for keeper Owono

FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono says he is experiencing “the most difficult days of my life” after the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel.

Tenerife player De Miguel, 30, died after suffering a serious injury in a collision with Owono during a Spanish second division match on Monday.

The world of football has paid tribute to De Miguel, a father-of-one who joined Tenerife in summer 2025, with a minute’s silence being held at all games in European competition this week.

Owono’s club issued a statement on the goalkeeper’s behalf on Wednesday, explaining the 25-year-old “wishes to share a few words personally”.

“These are the most difficult days of my life,” Owono says in the statement.

“I struggle to find the words, and it is very hard for me to come to terms with what has happened.

“I feel enormous pain over the loss of Jesus. I think of him, his family, and everyone who loved him.

“I know there will be many issues to address, and I will face whatever comes with the utmost respect. But right now, honestly, I cannot think about anything other than Jesus and the pain we are all experiencing.

“Rest in peace, Jesus.”

Earlier on Wednesday, FC Andorra team-mate Lautaro Spatz defended Owono and said he “would never intentionally hurt anyone” and had been “deeply affected” by De Miguel’s death.

Writing on social media, centre-back Spatz said Owono was devastated.

Spatz paid tribute to De Miguel, then said of Owono: “Those of us who know him know the kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone.

“In football, unfortunate incidents can happen but no-one could imagine that one of them might end with such tragic consequences.”

Players from FC Andorra held a minute’s silence before a voluntary training session on Wednesday. Owono was not at the session.

Tenerife and Andorra were drawing 2-2 seven minutes into stoppage time on Monday when the incident occurred.

Owono ran towards the centre circle to clear a long ball when his knee appeared to collide with De Miguel.

The striker lay motionless on the pitch as medical staff treated him, before he was taken by ambulance from Tenerife’s Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez to hospital.

Owono was sent off and the match was abandoned.

The goalkeeper, who had over 30,000 followers on Instagram on Tuesday morning, has since deactivated his account.

Police in Spain opened a routine investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter following De Miguel’s death.

Under Spanish law, any death that is deemed non-natural automatically triggers a judicial inquiry.

Owono has made 47 international appearances for Equatorial Guinea.

The president of Equatorial Guinea’s football federation, Venancio Tomas Micha, issued a statement on Tuesday offering “all our human and professional backing” to the player.

“As the involuntary protagonist of this tragic incident in the game, he is living through this situation with deep sorrow and distress,” he added.

On Tuesday, mourners laid flowers and lit candles beneath a black and white image of De Miguel at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez.

Tenerife said in a statement they will commence six official days of mourning, with all club activities suspended during this time.

The club’s players, staff and officials will attend De Miguel’s funeral, which will take place in Navahermosa, Toledo.

Tenerife will also open their home ground on Saturday evening to allow supporters to “bid a fitting farewell”.

“Jesus de Miguel’s family would like to thank everyone for their messages of support and, from the bottom of their hearts, ask that their privacy be respected at this terrible time. May he rest in peace,” added the club statement.

Tenerife and Andorra’s Spanish second division matches scheduled for the weekend, against Granada and Mallorca respectively, have been postponed.

Real Madrid reach verbal agreement to sign Gabriel

Real Madrid are confident of winning the race to sign Manchester United forward JJ Gabriel after reaching a verbal agreement with the teenager.

The 16-year-old is registered at United, but has not been back to the club since walking out in September.

Gabriel, who played against Atletico Madrid on United’s pre-season tour, had been expected to become the club’s youngest debutant in September’s Carabao Cup tie against Brighton.

However, he has opted to look elsewhere for senior football and has been training on his own in Spain.

His availability alerted clubs around Europe, including Barcelona and Paris St-Germain, but Real now expect to sign the youngster in January.

Though no club-to-club talks have been held, sources have told BBC Sport Real have verbally agreed a deal with Gabriel and his representatives.

Gabriel, who scored a hat-trick on his Uefa Youth League debut, has secured a European Union passport, which is expected to make it easier for him to sign for a club outside England.

United would be due compensation should Gabriel leave, although the figure will be lower if he signs for a club outside the Premier League.

He was named the Premier League’s Under-18 player of the season last term, despite being only 14 when the season campaign.

“The best 15-year-old in Europe,” was how Gabriel was described by a United source this year, while former interim manager Darren Fletcher said: “The world is his oyster.”

Speaking after the EFL Cup defeat by Brighton, United head coach Michael Carrick said: “We’ve got to be really careful of the whole situation.

“He’s a young boy…from a club point of view, looking after our younger players - their welfare, their well-being, their exposure - we’ve got to be really conscious of that in this situation.”

Why Man Utd's Roma comeback has echoes of Mourinho and Solskjaer

It was impossible not to get swept up in the emotion and delirium of Manchester United’s late 3-2 Champions League comeback win against Roma.

Old Trafford was transformed from a mutinous, baying cathedral of distrust and fury to one of joy and celebration.

Nine games and almost eight weeks is an eternity to wait for a victory at a club of Manchester United’s size.

It didn’t take Michael Carrick long to calm the mood.

“It’s one win, so we’re not getting too carried away with things, but it was an important win.”

It was a huge result in the sense it bought Carrick some time. But given United’s general state, no-one can be sure how much.

And, as was quickly pointed out in the aftermath of the victory, Manchester United have been here before.

‘Jose Mourinho set to be sacked whatever Manchester United’s result vs Newcastle.’

As headlines go, it was attention grabbing.

Saturday, 6 October 2018.

As it turned out, the Mirror was wrong. Although United officials at the time tried to play down the situation, sources have since admitted the intention was to sack Mourinho after presiding over the club’s worst start to a season in 29 years, and defeat by Newcastle would make it inevitable.

Much like the Roma game, the visitors raced into a two-goal lead and the atmosphere in the stadium started to turn, with most of the venom aimed at the director’s box rather than the manager.

Mourinho, who had promoted Carrick to assistant coach, replaced Eric Bailly with Juan Mata after 19 minutes and it was Mata who scored the 70th-minute goal that sparked the comeback, completed by Alexis Sanchez in the final minute for a 3-2 victory.

After the game, Mourinho said the pressure on him was a “manhunt”. However, the relationship between manager and club had been turning sour since the previous summer. His demand for Anthony Martial to be sold had been rejected, while record signing Paul Pogba was proving a problem.

While the Newcastle win sparked an improvement in form, a run of two wins in eight games culminating in a 3-1 loss at Liverpool led to Mourinho’s dismissal 10 weeks later.

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand dismissed calls for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be sacked before the Champions League encounter with Atalanta on 20 October 2021 as representative of “current fan culture”.

Carrick was also part of Solskjaer’s coaching group as United went top of the Premier League when they beat Newcastle just over a month earlier, but two wins in seven suggested all was not well.

As he did with Roma, coach Gian Piero Gasperini saw his team establish a two-goal lead by half-time, then collapse. Cristiano Ronaldo was the matchwinner on this occasion, nine minutes from time for another 3-2 win.

Even if United had lost that night, it is hard to think Solskjaer’s job would have been under threat. What followed immediately afterwards was a totally different story.

Liverpool came to Old Trafford and established a four-goal first-half lead. Jurgen Klopp’s men won 5-0, their biggest ever away win over their old rivals.

Many United fans thought Solskjaer should go that night. It was three weeks later that it happened, after a 4-1 defeat at Watford.

One look at the Premier League table shows why Carrick is right not to get carried away.

If results go against them, Manchester United could be bottom of the table by the time they kick-off against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Neither Mourinho nor Solskjaer could follow up their 3-2 successes with another victory. Mourinho’s United drew at Chelsea, then lost at home to Juventus. Solskjaer’s United were embarrassed by Liverpool. It meant neither man was able to build on the momentum generated by their epic victories.

That is Carrick’s challenge.

United have gone seven Premier League games without a win. They went eight under Ruben Amorim at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, but draws and losses were split by victories en route to the Europa League final, so the effect was not as great as it feels right now.

The club does have an exceptional home record against Villa. They have won their past six in all competitions and lost just two league games against the Midlands outfit at Old Trafford since 1983.

When United sources finally communicated - almost 48 hours after the 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on 25 October - that Carrick and his players would be given the opportunity to turn the situation around, no timescale was put on this. However, the feeling was the forthcoming international break would be an appropriate time for the club hierarchy to take stock and decide what direction they should go in.

In the two games since, Carrick’s team have been excellent across two halves.

Victory against Villa, albeit with £70m Carlos Baleba joining the injured list, would haul them up to within two points of Unai Emery’s side heading into a tricky run of matches post international break, starting at Liverpool, but also including trips to Newcastle and Arsenal in December.

Defeat is likely to dump them in the relegation zone for at least a fortnight and facing severe baiting at Anfield on 22 November.

“It’s not about me,” is a phrase Carrick has repeated often as he has assessed the wreckage of another bad result. The outcome against Roma was much more positive.

There is no suggestion Carrick’s future has been decided just yet. What happens at Old Trafford this weekend looks very important.

Carrick says it's 'crazy' but he's looking forward to Roma game

Michael Carrick accepts it might sound “crazy” but the beleaguered Manchester United boss says he is looking forward to the Champions League showdown with Roma at Old Trafford.

United go into Tuesday’s game without a win in nine matches in all competitions.

It is their worst run since 1988-89. They have not gone 10 without a win in a single campaign since 1977-78 and there is a growing feeling Carrick will lose his job during the forthcoming international break.

Roma’s only defeat so far this season was at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League last month, when they led 3-1 with seven minutes left.

United are 17th in the Premier League and after defeats by Atletico Madrid and Como have slumped to 21st in the Champions League table after three games, with only the top 24 making it through.

It is a bleak backdrop, but rather than fret over what lies ahead, Carrick is viewing it as a chance to change the narrative of the season.

“You might think I’m crazy with the results we’ve had and what’s going on, but genuinely, I really can’t wait for the game,” said Carrick. “I’m really looking forward to it.

“Listen, I can’t look into the future, you never know what’s going to happen. That doesn’t change the way I feel. Whatever happens is going to happen in whatever direction it goes in, but we want to make it a big night tomorrow.”

Carrick watched over a lively open session of pre-match training at Carrington.

Striker Bryan Mbeumo and midfielder Carlos Baleba were particularly vocal, with Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez also fully engaged despite his red card at Chelsea, which triggered such a negative reaction.

While there have been calls for Martinez to be dropped for the Roma game, Carrick was more philosophical.

“Things happen in football,” he said. “Sometimes you do things; you make a decision, you make mistakes. Sometimes it goes well for you.”

He also dismissed concerns both about Martinez’s commitment, and that of his entire squad.

“Perceptions are a funny thing,” he said. “They can make things look all sorts of different ways. The dressing room is a good place.

“I’ve said it before, I don’t question the commitment of the players, to the club and to me and to each other. We need to play better. We can make better decisions. But commitment’s not a thing at all.”

England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo sat alongside Carrick at the media conference and also stressed the strength of the group.

Mainoo returned from a four-match absence with a muscular issue as a second-half substitute at Chelsea.

At 21, Mainoo is one of the youngest players in Carrick’s squad. However, given he joined the club as a seven-year-old, he is also the longest serving and has a unique insight into the responsibilities that come with life in the Old Trafford spotlight.

“I’ve been at this club for a long time and know there’s always going to be ups and downs,” he said. “It’s never going to be plain sailing and smooth to the top. You expect bumps.

“Of course it’s been a tough season. We’ve not had the results we’ve wanted, but I feel like we’re one win away from changing that.”

United were last relegated in 1973-74. They have not been in the relegation zone after nine games or more since November 1986, when they collected a single point in Sir Alex Ferguson’s first two games in charge following Ron Atkinson’s dismissal.

Their lowest position after at least nine games of a season since then was 17th in 1989-90. They were 16th under Ruben Amorim after 37 games of the 2024-25 season.

Mainoo says the present position is unacceptable for a club of United’s size.

“United’s a huge club,” he said. “I think a lot of people know the values this club holds and have been passed down through the people who’ve worked here and played here.

“I feel like I take some responsibility in spreading the word of what Manchester United is, coming up through the academy, and I plan to send that message for as long as I can.”