Manchester City* - 130 charges (and counting...)

3 of their titles are rightfully ours, I most surely would want them back as any other stolen property.

1 Like

Yeah of course, but on the other hand, Abu Dhabi’s billions have invaded the game since quite some time (just like Abramovic’s), and the billionaire owners of the other 19 clubs have also benefitted from that. That’s why I don’t share the general optimism around here about how strongly they will get punished.

Look at what happened at Chelsea when Abramovic got caught repeatedly for diverse frauds. Did they disappear from the PL? Of course not. And even when the UK found themselves engaged in a proxy war against Russia with Abramovic having strong ties with Putin, they still allowed him to get away without much pain and another billionaire took over and continues to lavishly spray his wealth into the league.

Again, I hope of course that they’ll throw the book at them in a properly hard way, but I have doubts to be fair. You don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

1 Like

Not renewing subscription hurts only you and doesn’t impact the league as such.

The problem is that EPL earns more in our of country TV rights despite UK citizens paying outrageous rates.

True, but they will also see this as a massive slap in the face, and even if your missus is fantastic in the sack, getting a slap in public from her will piss you off, yeah? The question then comes to how much your pride and ego have been hurt by that slap as to if you react publicly and shame her, or keep it private

Everybody knows they are cheats already! The problem is the BBC (chiefly) just reporting on them as if there’s nothing wrong and they’re a legit club. That needs to change, and they need to be punished in line with what the world’s biggest ever sporting scandal warrants! If they get a slap on the wrist the top-flight is pretty much over in my eyes. This is for all the marbles!

1 Like

The ones you lost?

1 Like

It would be so Everton if they finished 18th, but City get expelled from the Premier League so only 2 teams get relegated…

2 Likes

I could live with that.

3 Likes

That would be the end of season DVD and bus parade right there

Just one issue I have with regard to some of the language used above is the use of the word / term “overspending”

Everton gambled and lost out massively, taking a risk that they could break into Europe.

City have systematically inflated their sponsorships, revenue and wealth and then concealed it through shadow companies etc.

That to me is not overspending. It’s essentially fraud in my opinion.

14 Likes

Fixed for accuracy.

In all seriousness, I do expect expulsion as a punishment. It’s the only logical punishment, simply because they have done so much to undermine the integrity of the league.

I’ve also read somewhere, I can’t remember where, that expulsion differs from relegation in that the lower leagues are not obliged to admit City as a member.

2 Likes

And hopefully HMRC come calling but I suspect that offshore accounts etc. will reduce the impact there. Sadly.

2 Likes

That is only 1 aspect of it. The FPL have their own FFP already in place, and unlike UEFA and the Prem, the Football League’s FFP actually has some teeth.

If Man City were to be relegated, they would find complying with the F/L FFP very difficult unless the sold a vast majority of not only their First teamers, but also a number of their hotest youth prospects.

One subscriber isn’t going to make a difference, but the important point is that I have not been contemplating it to make a difference or ‘punish’. It is simply declining interest as the PL increasingly resembles the Bundesliga.

No, international is actually about a third, which is staggering.

Frankly even if it was our club that did this, I’d want HMRC to investigate. Tax evasion is not cool.

3 Likes

Agreed

For me since the premier league comes in hotstar(which is anyway a bundled in OTT) , doesn’t matter too much.

But when Liverpool get taken over by the likes of Arabs ,. That’s when I stop following football.

It’s not about the affordability, it’s about whether football as such deserves my support

2 Likes

I think all our hopes for justice will fall at this hurdle. Money wins. There’s no way that the PL will choose to relegate City and miss out their millions, both direct and in brown envelopes.

I think it will be a big fine (though not big when you have a bottomless pit of money) and a points deduction that won’t result in relegation. Maybe they’ll miss out on CL one season but their cheating has already resulted in sufficient infrastructure that will bring them back challenging the following year

4 Likes

Even if one charge only sticks with The Cheaters… then surely UEFA have an obligation, on behalf of European football alone, to take a closer look at what kind of club are they allowing to participate in their competitions… Of course this does not apply to the Blueshite because the only time they are in Europe is when they take a summer holiday :0)

1 Like

As far as city go , yeah. We’ve been screwed out of atleast 4 league titles (including the 13/14 season). Don’t care if United add on a League title retrospectively , just null and void the damn club and their achievement and kick them out of the premier league.

1 Like

And if there isn’t enough action taken ,the other clubs should threaten to quit the PL, atleast the 15 other clubs not run by dodgy corrupt money coming from state budgets.

Let city , Chelsea and Newcastle play their own stupid league.

3 Likes