Man City found guilty! What we know, and what happens next | The Big Thing
Manchester City has been found guilty of 114 of 115 financial charges by an independent Premier League panel for breaches between 2009-2018, including inflated sponsorships and off-the-books payments. The hosts discuss potential punishments ranging from transfer bans to relegation, the implications for the Premier League's credibility, and how this verdict affects the perception of City's trophy-laden era.
Summary
The Big Thing episode examines Manchester City's historic guilty verdict on financial rule violations. An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations during 2009-2018, a period when City won eight trophies including three Premier League titles. The charges, originating from Der Spiegel's Football Leaks emails, include claims of inflated sponsorship revenue and off-the-books payments, exemplified by Roberto Mancini's dual contracts where he was paid more for consulting Abu Dhabi clubs than for coaching City.
The hosts emphasize that City signed up to Premier League rules and have been found guilty of cheating on an industrial scale never before seen. City's response has been to maintain innocence and suggest establishment bias, though the hosts note this appears to be a shift to court-of-public-opinion strategy after initial legal defenses failed. The independent commission consisted of legal and financial specialists rather than football figures.
Regarding precedent, the hosts reference Chelsea's 10 million pound fine for illegal agent payments and Everton's points deduction for PSR breaches, but note these cases involved cooperation with the Premier League. City notably failed to cooperate and faces different circumstances. The hosts also reference Rangers' Scottish football crisis as the closest historical precedent—Rangers were forced to start in the bottom tier after being found guilty of paying players off-books.
Potential punishments discussed include points deductions (possibly 60-100 points), transfer bans, European competition bans, massive fines, or even relegation. However, each option presents complications: retrospective title strips would create legal liability as other clubs could sue for compensation; points deductions of 100 would effectively relegate City without formally doing so; and banning them from the Premier League raises questions about operational restructuring and whether ownership should remain.
The hosts discuss how this affects perception of City's achievements, with mixed perspectives. Some argue it doesn't change their view since they suspected financial doping all along, while others note an asterisk now exists over memorable moments like Sergio Agüero's title-winning goal. The broader concern is the Premier League's credibility—if City receives only a slap-on-the-wrist punishment, it undermines the league's integrity globally.
The conversation notes that other clubs likely engage in similar rule-bending (Newcastle, others), but the scale and obstruction by City distinguish this case. The hosts also mention potential complications including UK political involvement (Andy Burnham's ties to Manchester) and the upcoming Premier League US TV deal, though they acknowledge the Premier League's monolithic status may insulate it from reputational damage.
Finally, the hosts conclude that most people likely want this resolved with meaningful punishment so the league can move forward, similar to how Italian football moved past Calciopoli, even though Juventus fans still claim those stripped titles.
About this episode
<p>Manchester City has been found gulty of 114 of the 115 charges against them. What are the developments so far, what impact could this have on the club in the present, who all was involved, what are the possible punishments, and what impact could this all have on the Premier League going forward?</p><br /><p><strong>JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/totalsoccershow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Check out our Patreon</a>, which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, videos, The TSS Scouting Network, and much more.</p><br /><p><strong>WATCH TSS EPISODES ON YOUTUBE!</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Total-Soccer-Show" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We're posting all our episodes here</a>! Smash like and subscribe etc.!</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Key Insights
- Manchester City signed up to Premier League financial rules as member clubs but have been found guilty of breaking them on an industrial scale never previously witnessed in the league.
- The independent commission consisted of legal and financial specialists rather than football figures, making this a formal legal case rather than a football tribunal.
- Roberto Mancini essentially admitted dual contracts where he was paid more for part-time consulting with Abu Dhabi clubs than for coaching Manchester City full-time.
- City's initial statement maintained innocence and continued to suggest establishment bias, but the hosts interpret this as a strategic shift toward public opinion after legal defenses appeared to fail.
- Retrospective point deductions face legal obstacles because clubs could sue Manchester City for compensation for missed Champions League qualification or relegation, with Burnley's successful lawsuit against Everton setting precedent.
- A 100-point deduction would effectively relegate Manchester City without formally demoting them, creating operational complications for the Premier League and other parties.
- Rangers' relegation to the Scottish football bottom tier after financial violations provides the closest historical precedent, though Rangers eventually returned to competition.
- If other clubs are also engaging in similar financial rule-breaking at smaller scales, the question becomes whether City's punishment primarily reflects the magnitude of violations or their obstruction during investigation.
- The hosts note that Liverpool, as a financially restrained club, may have the strongest grounds to feel hard done by, as they could have won more titles in a level playing field.
- Sergio Agüero's famous title-winning goal, frequently cited as one of the Premier League's greatest moments, now carries an implicit asterisk for viewers who cannot separate the memory from the financial doping context.
- The Premier League's credibility as a league is now tied to the severity of City's punishment, with inadequate sanctions potentially signaling that financial rules lack enforcement teeth.
- The hosts speculate that lengthy appeals and sanctioning processes may allow public attention to fade, creating incentive for the Premier League to accept lighter punishments than the severity of violations warrants.
Topics
Transcript
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