I think people will be surprised how resilient the commercial element will be when it comes to questions of sporting integrity.
I’d let them keep the club but I would expel them from the football league.
Then the FA can expel them to the semi professional leagues.
Should give them 30 seasons to get back and by that time half the grounds will be underwater so.
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I know you have a visceral hatred of Labour, but it’s ridiculous to think Labour are unique in feeling political pressure on this. Do you think the Tories or Reform wouldn’t buckle in the face of UAE money?
It’s the reality of what happens when you let let nation states own football clubs for wider geopolitical objectives.
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we seem to be singing from the same Hymn sheet, but just with different timing.
everything you say about the league surviving whilst placating Man City, is pretty much what im saying whilst punishing them.
either way, whatever happens here, football survives… theres no doomsday scenario, even if people are well enough informed about a subject around the facts in 2026 ( doubtful) , we’re just way to busy and apathetic to do something about it.
i still say ( and i know you disagree) that anything happening to Man City as an organisation, it wont affect the league negatively… i say that as having some friends who are Man City fans, from way back before all the money…i often wonder if they somehow prefered it back then, TBH, maybe apart from the Auguero moment, did they celebrate the play off promotion in divvy 2 (was it? , i know one lad who went over to watch it ) more than Peps 6th title? more than the FA cup in whatever year…etc etc
so the true fan will still be there, the new fan will probably just pick a new team ( maybe losing him/her to the continent ?) but whatever…
one thing actually of interest…what happens to the rather well built female team, do they get dragged into this mire, im assuming not.
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Interesting to note that Portugal lost 2.3m followers on instagram when Ronaldo was forced out.
A lot of people follow players now. You can see that on social media, it’s odd to us I guess but there you go.
TikTok generation.
Fucking weirdos
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yeah i get that, looking at the Messi Phenom…
Haaland probably gets a following of people that leave with him, but that happens whether City exist or not, if there is a small subsection (2.3 million tik tok followers doesnt mean 2.3 million TV subscribers, or shirt sales etc) that dissappears off into the distance then so be it.
like @Hope.in.your.heart says, my assumption is they would lose more by letting this farce continue and leaving that club in the league with no penalties going forward…
theres no way they get charged again, this is it, this is the moment the league need to decide whether intergrity counts.
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Sure, Except that the Govt has no standing here. UAE can threaten all they want but the govt can show some spine for once and tell them to do one. If Burnham buckles to pressure, He can kiss his political future good bye
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Unrelated to the actual thread, but I saw someone refer to their opener yesterday as Portugal’s first goal since they declared their independence 
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Not a visceral hatred. I just think the world has moved on but they are stuck in the 70s. Same story. No new ideas.
Anyhow. We agree on the consequences of states owning football. We agree on money corrupting. No one invest put of the goodness of their heart.
Oh dear…not a good advert for UAE is it…
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Basically shut up accept it and we will give you a more lenient penalty if you continue to threaten us we will fuck you over.
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The news of Abu Dhabi threatening to pull out some or most investments in the UK over a vanity project like Man City should awake those in power that the royalty in the UAE are sore losers. If an L is coming, they will do whatever it takes to bend, remove or even coerce the people giving that ruling.
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This is just so disappointing to hear…
If you’re not a fan of wokery and your mind recoils from witnessing the shattering effects of long-term crack use, then I strongly urge you not to read the latest offering from Jonathan Lieuw in the Guardian. Deranged doesn’t even come close to describing his analysis and solutions to the City criminality. Suffice it to say, he assures us that the No.1 priority to be considered is the feelings of City fans in all this, and that the club should be nationalised (he’s serious).
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Yeah, I’ve read it. It’s utterly ridiculous.
I soon realized it was absolute bollocks early in the article when he referred to City’s fanbase as being “one of the country’s biggest”!
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Lieuw has long been a Cheaty apologist, alongside someone who doesn’t understand football (or a series of other sports he’s paid to opine upon). He’s a cretin.
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