The reliable reports that the dominant force in the Premier League over the past decade has been found guilty of financial breaches could have colossal repercussions
'The Damned United' is not a documentary. The accuracy of the story told by David Peace in his best-selling novel is disputed by a number of the real-life protagonists. But there's one thing that pretty much everyone agrees on: in July 1974, during one of his very first training sessions as Leeds United's new manager, Brian Clough really did get up in front of an undeniably gifted but notoriously aggressive group of players and tell them that they could throw all of their medals in the bin because they didn't win any of them fairly. "You've done it all by blooming cheating," Michael Sheehan's Clough so infamously declares in the film version of the best-selling book, alluding to Leeds' allegedly 'dirty' style of play rather than any level of corruption on their part.
You've probably already seen that clip doing the rounds again on social media - only now in relation to Manchester City, who, as first reported by the Athletic, have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against them in February 2023 for breaching the Premier League's financial rules. It may even have been sent to you in a WhatsApp group - because the 'fun' has well and truly begun. It's all aboard the 'banter' bus because the meme machine has already gone into overdrive and rival fans are mocking Man City mercilessly.
But this is no laughing matter. On the contrary, this is a serious business, which has the potential to completely alter the future of English football by rewriting its past. Because while the Premier League has reportedly recorded a resounding victory over Manchester City, this will hardly feel like a win worth celebrating, given the very competition it runs could be stripped of all credibility.
Relegation a real risk
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| A team containing Erling Haaland could be bound for The Championship. Getty Images |
We have, of course, yet to learn what sanctions the Premier League, headed up by chief executive Richard Masters, will impose on Manchester City, who still have the right to appeal. Indeed, some sceptical supporters of rival clubs suspect that the Etihad outfit will escape with a fine and an inconsequential points deduction. However, that's incredibly unlikely according to legal experts familiar with the case. The sport has never seen a financial scandal of this magnitude. The severity of the charges are unprecedented. In all probability, the punishment would be too.
Remember, Everton (six-point deduction) and Nottingham Forest (four) were only guilty of minor breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations. Chelsea, meanwhile, were only (controversially) fined for charges relating to illegal payments to agents and third parties but the Blues essentially reported themselves to the Premier League, as the breaches in question related not to the current owners but the Roman Abramovich administration. The Clearlake consortium, thus, co-operated fully with the investigation every step of the way. City did not. And they maintained their complete innocence throughout the entire process, meaning leniency is unlikely.
As a result, there is now a distinct possibility that City will be hit with such a heavy points deduction that it would make relegation probable rather than possible.
Trophies to be taken away?
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| Pep Guardiola always insisted that titles won on the pitch would always 'belong' to City. Action Plus |
Whether titles would be revoked remains unclear at this stage. There's certainly a strong case to be made that all of City's results between 2009 and 2018 (the subject of the investigation) should be declared null and void.
However, it could also be argued that nothing that's happened in the last eight years would have been possible without the alleged financial fraud that laid the costly foundations for City's emergence as the dominant force in English football - and eventual 2023 treble triumph.
Former City manager Pep Guardiola previously railed against the idea that the club should be stripped of their trophies in the event of a guilty verdict.
"Come on! Those moments belong to [City], regardless of the sentence," the Catalan argued back in 2023. "Think about what we’ve done... that goal from Sergio Aguero [against QPR in 2012]; nobody can remove that. I don’t know, are we responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield?"
They obviously weren't. But they were allegedly responsible for financial fraud that put Manuel Pellegrini’s City in a position to take advantage of that slip. Furthermore, the magical moments Guardiola referred to arguably only belonged to City because they were stolen from someone else.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has already pointed out that the memories can't really be taken away. The medals and trophies can, though, and it's telling that Jurgen Klopp, whose Liverpool side were pipped to two titles by Guardiola's City, in 2018-19 and 2021-22, previously stated that if City were found guilty, he would get the beers in and host a parade in his own back garden for his former players.
Irreparable damage
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| Former cyclist Lance Armstrong still claims to be a seven-time winner of the Tour de France but nobody counts his titles. AFP |
Of even greater concern to City, though, are the potential legal and financial ramifications.
Manchester United, who have thrice finished second to City during the past 18 years, are already reportedly assessing the economic impact of City's breaches on their own earnings, and it would be a surprise if Liverpool (also three-time runners-up) and Arsenal (two 'lost' titles) are not doing likewise.
It doesn't end there, though, as City also repeatedly denied other clubs top-four finishes that would have secured qualification for the Champions League - and the lucrative prize money that comes with it. The possible cost of compensation is impossible to calculate at this early stage - just like the potentially irreparable damage done to the Premier League's integrity, given, if the guilty verdict sticks, the biggest case of fraud in football history threatens to expose the past 18 years of the Premier League as a lie.
Here's what we do know for sure, though: City's reputation will be in ruins. Their memories and titles have not yet been erased, and maybe they never will be. At the very least, though, subject to what is likely to be a lengthy appeals process, every accolade could now have an asterisk beside it and, in the eyes of most neutral observers, every triumph would be rendered utterly meaningless. Like Florence Griffith Joyner's sprint records. Or Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France wins.
And why? Because, unlike 'The Damned United', City, who, it should be pointed out, continue to deny all wrongdoing, might just have won all their medals against a backdrop of cheating.
- Mark Doyle
