As Arsene Wenger once said: “I think this is a deep question, sport is to win by respecting the rules, that’s what it is all about. We celebrate the best in every sport, but we want to know that they respect the rules.
“If there is no respect for the rules, then it is not real sport so I think that is what’s most important, the rules exist so you have to respect them. Once you go into a competition, you sign in by agreeing to accept the rules.”
by Dan Smith
Media outlets are reporting that the consensus among Prem clubs is they want Man City to be relegated If found guilty of the charges for over 100 financial breaches.
The Champions maintain their innocence and surprise of the 4 years investigation outcome, maintaining the evidence provided is irrefutable.
Owned by a man worth 21 Billion, Sheikh Mansour will pay for the best lawyers in the world to challenge every part of this process, find any loophole imaginable and find any law possible to fight any guilty charge.
Sources from the Etihad have already started making accusations regarding the timing of these findings, with the government due to release a report of football governance next month.
The Premier League are under pressure to prove they don’t require an independent regulator to keep English Football under control.
Politically, what better way to prove that than show you are putting the Champions under scrutiny?
City would ask that if consequences are extreme, why did QPR and Bournemouth only get fines when they committed similar breaches?
They could legally argue they are being victimised and make their own case.
If found guilty do those in power have the convictions to really relegate one of the richest club’s in the world?
Are they prepared to fight against the resources at the accused disposal?
How worried are Man City?
Did they act already knowing they can get away with rule breaking with a simple fine?
Off record, is there a price to make this all go away?
Here are my least to most likely consequences if the panel find City guilty …….
Relegation?
Of course the rest of the division want a world without Man City (even if it were for one season).
The club have dominated English Football for years so them not being a competitor increases their peers chances of landing a title, earning a place in Europe, etc.
Yet, would the Prem hurt their own brand for the sake of morality?
The English Prem is one of Britain’s most successful brands sold overseas.
Why do you think the Prime Minister and future King got involved the moment it was in jeopardy when the Super League was a possibility?
No, not for fans, but they didn’t want anything to jeopardize a cash cow.
It’s harder to promote England having the best League in the world if your relegating your champions and essentially admitting that title races since 2008 have been based on corruption.
It’s not going to get broadcasters or advertisers to pay any more is it?
The Prem are no different to FIFA or UEFA, they will make a decision which financially suits them.
Hurting their own product does the opposite.
Titles stripped?
Reports in the media vary ….
Some stress that City would be punished for the time frame looked into (up to 2018).
Others maintain any sanctions will come into effect the moment the case is concluded.
It’s believed at the moment there isn’t pressure from a Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea, etc, for trophies to be stripped.
While it would hurt Man City fans, it’s not really special for rivals to be rewarded silverware years after the event.
It’s not like they have an iconic moment to look back on.
Once competitions are decided due to events off the pitch, that competition loses its innocence.
Again, it would hurt the image of the Prem which would be self-inflicting damage by those in charge.
How can you promote your League as the best in the world while asking for moments like ‘Aguero’ to be pretended never happened?
Points Deduction?
This is where paying for the best legal team in the world will help.
Lawyers on the pay roll to make sure any sanctions on the pitch are the worst case scenario.
Once established the time period, a points deductions can be implemented (and some say it can’t be backdated) City will time this to their advantage.
If found guilty, they can appeal to another panel, all of which will takes months to happen.
It suits City, for example, to have taken 15 points off them next season compared to this one.
If it happens this campaign, it cost them their title, next year, they could still start minus 15 and qualify for Europe.
This could be the happy medium.
A harsh enough punishment to act as deterrent to the rest, but long term not harming the brand.
A punishment that only hurts City in the short term, but protects what they have built and keeps them an ongoing force.
City Stop Spending Silly Money
In a world where everyone talks off record, a compromise could be reached.
One of those could be that City pay a sum to make this go away but agree to an unofficial spending cap.
Guilty or not, every transfer fee and wage will be under scrutiny for the next few years.
Pep leaves
If any of the above happens I can see Pep Guardiola leaving.
He’s always maintained he’s been ensured by his employers that zero rules have been broken.
He already seems more passive aggressive than usual this season.
He’s often detailed the emotion it takes out of him to be the coach he is.
Hence why he needed a break from Barcelona and why another sabbatical wouldn’t be a shock.
The Spaniard might not directly use this saga as his direct reason for leaving but being the best manager in the world who can handpick his next job, he doesn’t need to taint his reputation .
Pep is not a Mourinho, with a mentality of win at all costs.
He believes you can be successful without any dark arts.
A Fine
This would anger most outside Manchester simply because any fine given, City can afford it and therefore it’s not too much of a punishment.
That doesn’t mean that FA won’t do it though.
Whisper it quietly, they don’t base their sanction criteria on what the average person in the street thinks.
If they did, we would have teams playing in empty stadiums by now due to the rise in racial abuse and crowd trouble
What were the ‘big 6’ punishment for trying to break away?
A fine they could easily afford.
The Prems not going to hurt its own brand by relegating champions and taking titles away.
We just had a World Cup in Qatar, so let’s get away from this idea that the FA has woken up and suddenly got concerned that there is too much money in the game ….
Dan
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