Here's how Manchester City players could resign from the club

Unless CAS rules in favour of Manchester City after considering their claims, the club will be out of European competition for two years. The decision is now official and the club has reacted with a strong response.

Of course, one of the many consequences could be a mass exodus by City's top players, who would prefer to compete in the Champions League.

Sports lawyer John Mehrzad explained how in a Twitter thread: "It is arguable that Man City’s conduct (subject to CAS appeal) in breaching UEFA (and it would seem PL) regs would be a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence City’s player contracts." 

"City players could argue that club has acted in a way that has destroyed their ability to play in UEFA Champions League for 2 seasons. Such conduct goes to the root of being a professional footballer at the highest level - ie an ability to play in the highest level of European club competition if club qualifies in the usual way,"  he added. 

"City players could contend that their player contracts have been fundamentally undermined - and resign in response, effectively becoming ‘free agents’. UK employment law would, I suspect, look favourably on player’s arguments if they resigned as City’s conduct (again subject to CAS appeal) has deprived them of playing in champs league - and it can be safely assumed achieving related bonus payments.

"FIFA (then CAS) would need to be persuaded that City players had ‘just cause’ to terminate contracts. FIFA views ‘contractual stability’ as sacrosanct - but calculated acts by club that deprive a player of ability to perform as envisaged is arguably ‘just cause’." 

February 15, 2020

This means the following: since the contract of Manchester City gives as a substantial part that the players can develop at the top level and, therefore, participate in European competitions and perhaps obtain extra revenue for their results in these championships, it would be breaking the agreement by not giving them the possibility of disputing them.

By "premeditated acts of the club", the lawyer does not mean that City was deliberately breaking UEFA's laws, but that it was in its power to comply with them. Therefore, the players can break their contracts in his opinion: the entity has been able to act to the player's detriment and could have done so to their benefit in order to protect his contracts.