Sham City
Manchester City found guilty by an independent commission. What does it mean, how should fans feel, and what comes next?
A Little History
In September 2009, then Manchester United gaffer Alex Ferguson dismissed Manchester City by saying that sometimes you have a noisy neighbour and you just have to deal with it. This was just a year after Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who will be referred to as 'The Sheikh', had taken over Manchester City.
When he took over, City were a mid-table club, a fly on the walls of Old Trafford. That all changed in 2011, when they beat United 1-0 in an FA Cup semi-final and went on to win their first major trophy since 1976. In October 2011 they thrashed United 6-1 in the famous Balotelli 'Why always me?' game, and went on to win their first Premier League title in 2012 via Agüero's 93rd-minute goal against QPR. To add insult to injury, that goal meant they won on goal difference over Manchester United.
To be fair, Fergie would go on to win his last title in 2013 before retiring. Since then, City have 'won' 7 PL titles and a bunch more that I'm too salty to mention.
The Crime
An independent commission found City guilty of charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-season period (2009–2018). They inflated revenue and reduced costs by almost £1 billion during that period.
The commission found that they arranged sham commercial sponsorship deals, but the money was actually coming from 'The Sheikh'.
The problem for City was that, to catch up with the big teams, they needed to spend big, but their revenue was significantly lower. Their owner, however rich, could not just pump in funds, as this would be against UEFA and PL rules, which require clubs to spend real revenue.
This allowed them to recruit elite talent and pay high wages, which gave them an unfair and meteoric rise in a short space of time. The cheating brought about winning, and the winning brought global fans, legit sponsorship deals, major trophy earnings and a bigger slice of TV deals.
They have won a lot after the period in question, but critics argue that this success was made possible by blatant cheating.
City's Response
The club, much like their fans, have dug in, saying they are "disappointed and surprised" by the guilty verdict. They are reportedly planning to argue in their appeal that the funds came from the UAE government and not the owner. Not sure how that makes it better.
The case also has a political dimension. UAE officials have reportedly warned that a harsh verdict could damage UK–UAE relations and threaten billions in Emirati investment in Britain.
The Punishment
I loathe a City fan as much as the next man, but I sympathise with their case. They were plucked from obscurity and thrust onto the world stage with trophies galore to boot, and now all of it is being brought into question.
Should they be relegated, deducted points or expelled from the league? Other teams have reserved the right to sue for possible lost earnings and winnings.
Do they keep the titles they won during the Sham era?
I, for one, would support a punitive package combining points deductions and a transfer ban over a nine-season period, starting now. In addition, all titles won since 2009 should be stripped.
It won't be a big deal, since I honestly only know one City fan.