Their cheating was multiple years in the making, with multiple years of illegitimate trophies amassed.
The punishment should hurt them for multiple years too, and if it does not, then it will be unjust.
Hopefully they are relegated and have all trophies stripped. I would like to see them awarded to the runner up, though obviously it won’t replace the sense of triumph the runner up would have experienced, had they won in real time.
Relegation. Trophies stripped. Let’s keep going.
Financial recompense for those who were wronged? An old adage of sport is that winning breeds more winning, and it certainly breeds more income. How many millions were stolen from other teams due to Man City cheating? It can’t be beyond someone to come up with some sort of formula, to compensate teams and individual players.
Let’s keep going. Relegation. Trophies stripped. Financial penalties with large sums awarded to others. What else?
At that point, I don’t know the mechanism of the Football League, but why do they automatically want a cheating Man City team to reside among their ranks? Maybe they will start Man City at the bottom of their pile, so they have to win multiple promotions to get back to the Premier League?
Or as was mentioned above, maybe Man City won’t pass the Football League’s own financial tests, and will fall foul of that, as they fall down the divisions?
Since they are financial cheaters, they should accept that in future their books need to be opened to forensic accountants. They will also need to cooperate wholly, and on time, moving forward. Any slight dragging of the heels should be met with the assumption they are up to no good, and they should be punished again.
I am slightly encouraged by the way the talk is going, per Athletic article. If Man City aren’t hit with very severe sanctions, I think a huge revolt is on the cards. For the good of its own game, the authorities need to do the right thing. Finally.