The football world is “doing a Poznan” on City – Game of the People
THEY are being called cheats, charlatans, fraudsters and people that have worked against the integrity of the game. Long debates are taking place about the punishments that should be handed out to Manchester City, ranging from relegations, hefty fines, stripped titles and the enforced sale of the club. Nobody is holding back, the Premier League has said its piece and as far as everyone is concerned, City are as guilty as sin.
If any set of owners had presided over the sort of mismanagement the Premier believes took place at City, they would be rattling their chains in a dungeon by now. With City, it is different. There is talk that a possible diplomatic incident could occur if Abu Dhabi is forced to sell the club, we could be in another Qatar-type situation where Downing Street gets involved. In reality, the worst twist is the damage being done to the reputation of English football. City will never be trusted again, at least while the current administration remains in place. City’s fans have, rather sadly, been sold down the canal and should demand the club is sold to genuinely fit and proper people.
Pep Guardiola has told City that he will be there to the end with them and has been “Cameronesque” in his claim that “we will get through this together”. He, too, may have been misled, but his involvement is meant to be an act of support.
Any sanctions have to be forward-looking and should be accompanied by conditions that prevent this sort of thing happening again. Stripping titles probably won’t be necessary as the players are probably hovering over their kitchen bins right now with the spoils of a dirty war. Fines will also have limited effect. The biggest crimes concern the systemic assault on the game and for that, City cannot be easily forgiven.
Can City they really prove their innocence? And if they have “irrefutable evidence”, let’s see it. Why spend so much on lawyers if they had this in their back pocket all along? If they didn’t have it to hand, why do they now? They have already appealed before knowing the extent of their penalties. They must fear the very worst.
The so-called corporate fraud of “sham contracts”, if indeed they are just that, are arguably one of the most cynical aspects of this tawdry affair. On top of any penalty handed out, City may find they have a huge compensation bill from every club who feels they have been disadvantaged by their behaviour. City could find they spend a lot of time in law courts in the next few years. If nothing else, they will surely feel the cold wind of isolation.
Right now, they need a game at the Etihad to test the water. Will their fans react in a supportive manner or will they let the club’s owners know how they feel? In many cases, when a club see the walls closing in on them, the reaction is generally more sympathetic than critical. Football does have a habit of making heroes out of villains.
At the moment, the rest of the world believes City are guilty, but equally, there must be some clubs out there wondering if they are squeaky clean. Who would wager against another domino falling in the coming months?
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