Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has labelled Manchester City's financial rule breaches as 'financial doping' and called for severe punishment. Ilicali is the first Premier League owner to speak out since an independent commission reportedly found City guilty on all but one of 115 charges.

Speaking on the '1904 Club' podcast, Ilicali drew a direct comparison to cheating in athletics. "If they are not innocent, I think it is no different to doping and winning an Olympic medal," he said. "This is financial doping at the end of the day."

He stressed that any penalty must act as a deterrent. "If you give a small punishment, then everybody will do it," Ilicali argued. "For the future of football, and for it to be a clean future, this kind of thing if it happens, should be punished and not let people do something like that." The Premier League's chief executive Richard Masters has described the case as the most significant in the competition's history.

Hull's own sanctions experience

Ilicali's comments come with his own club having faced EFL sanctions. Hull City were penalised in 2025 for late payments to other clubs, resulting in transfer fee restrictions across three windows. One of those restrictions was later suspended. This experience informs his view on fairness. "I like natural money in football," he said. "For us, we will not have the budget of a top six or top 10 teams in England, but we respect that."

He expressed concern about the competitive gap widening further through rule-breaking. "We have enough distance because of the income they have naturally," Ilicali noted. "Please don't add more distance from some more money and make the distance higher and higher." He elaborated that the integrity of the sport is at stake, and a strong message must be sent to all clubs about adhering to financial regulations.

Focus returns to the pitch

For Ilicali's team, the immediate focus is on their Premier League campaign. Hull City currently sit eighth in the table with eight points from their opening five games. Their recent form shows one win, two draws and two defeats from the last five outings. Their next fixture is a home match against Aston Villa at the MKM Stadium. The Tigers will look to build on their solid start and continue their progress up the standings. Ilicali concluded by saying the club is fully focused on the upcoming challenge and maintaining their positive momentum in the league.

First reported at sports.yahoo.com