With their 3-0 win at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, Manchester City took a resounding early step along a path that could end in a Premier League title. Or they afforded themselves a significant boost in their battle against relegation. Maybe they achieved nothing more than to harm the prospects of great rivals Liverpool, with City's season to be defined by the sentencing commission and an appeal process.
The question for the Premier League as a whole is not only what the shape of the table might be at the end of the disciplinary process, but when that process might be concluded. Every one of the other 19 clubs finds itself in limbo to some extent. A points deduction could change everything from the title race to the relegation picture.
The English game is rapidly approaching its autumn sacking season. How can executives know the appropriate response to make when there might only be two relegation spots to worry about or one more Champions League berth than usual? It is for that reason that many in the league are emphasizing the value of a swift resolution.
That was a widespread belief before this weekend's games, and it will only have grown stronger in the aftermath of City's second-half rally and the boisterous celebrations of players and fans who seemed to revel in their new status. Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick expressed that view on Friday, telling his pre-match press conference: "The sooner it gets sorted, I think for everyone's benefit, is essential." Privately that is a view echoed by other head coaches and executives, according to CBS Sports sources. The extent to which anyone might get their wish is unclear.
The Premier League can impress on both the independent commission, which will decide the extent of the sanction, and the appeal body the need for this process to be resolved quickly. Manchester City's appeal is said to refer to the damage done to the original case by an onerous timescale of over three years. Equally, the timescale is decided by the judges who have been appointed to reach a verdict.
The Premier League's current rules state that an appeal process must be concluded within 12 weeks of it being lodged, with the hearing of the appeal itself to take no more than five days. However, those rules were implemented amid the lengthy delays around the independent commission. It could be argued that City should be judged by the rules in place when they were charged, which would afford them an undetermined timeline.
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