I would like to say the world was shocked to discover that Manchester City had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them over serious financial breaches spanning nine seasons, from 2009–10 to 2017–18. But I am not shocked. Like many football fans, I suspected this day was coming. We smelt a rat. Now, as a Manchester United fan, I want to look at what the verdict means, who may have been affected and, most importantly, what should happen next.
To summarise: Manchester City were found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-year period. The independent commission found that the club arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs, while filing inaccurate accounts that concealed the true state of its finances.
Central to the findings was a “disguised funding scheme” worth £830.69mn between 2009–10 and 2017–18. The commission found that City recorded £949.94 million in sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi-based companies during those nine seasons, but only £119.25mn represented genuine sponsorship payments. The remaining £830.69mn was made up of “tagged sums” paid by the club’s owner, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), and recorded as sponsorship income.
The club were also found guilty of entering into “sham” image-rights agreements involving players and their then manager, Roberto Mancini, with payments being concealed through consultancy agreements.
The commission also found that a separate “Fordham Arrangement” involved players’ image rights being sold to a third party that was, in reality, a front for ADUG. The arrangement allowed money from the owners to enter the club while being recorded as operating income.
Overall, the Premier League said the various schemes artificially inflated Manchester City’s revenues and reduced its costs by more than £900mn during the period in question, allowing the club to appear to comply with financial rules when it did not.
From confused southerner to Manchester United fan
To start with, I confess, I once was a confused southerner, not sure which Manchester club to support growing up in Kent. My whole family is from Lancashire; I knew my Grandma lived near Manchester and I was 5 or 6 at the time of my choice and boy did I make the right choice. Unlike Robinho, the Brazilian who in 2008 thought he was signing for Manchester United and instead signed for Manchester City for a whopping £32.5mn breaking the then transfer record. Mark Hughes, the then manager of Manchester City later remarked; “Man City were a mid-table Premier League club – mid-table to bottom if we’re honest.” When Robinho signed for Manchester City it was the year before all that UAE (United Arab Emirates) money started flooding into the club, and the Premier League was tainted forever.
Those nine long years
Of the years in question, three seasons stand out immediately: 2011–12, 2013–14 and 2017–18. These were the three seasons in the time span in question which saw Manchester City win the Premier League, 2011–12 and 2017–18 they beat my team, Manchester United, into second place, and 2013-2014 they beat Liverpool. The first one particularly hurts me; it’s the year that not only did Manchester City win their first ever Premier League title, but they did so in truly Hollywood style, Sergio Agüero winning it in the 94th minute of the very last game of the season with pretty much the last kick of the game.
But this Hollywood script was far from over.
It hurts
When you know you have been cheated out of something, it hurts, much more than losing in a fair game. But it is not just big clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool who lost out. As an aside, I really do feel the pain of Liverpool fans, they had not won a league title since 1989-90, the end of their great era. Should this have been the start of their new big era? It’s hard to win a first league title; even harder after being a big club for so many years, it would have been 24 years for Liverpool, 44 years for Manchester City. But the latter, we now know, was one large cheat.
What is clear for me is that there is no way that, without this foundation of bent funding, Manchester City would have gone on to win any of their further five titles in this period. It simply doesn’t work like that.
I would like to, at this stage, remind any Manchester City fans where you finished during the Premier League era since 1992. Yes, this puts your bent money into perspective.
- 1992–93: 9th (Premier League)
- 1993–94: 16th (Premier League)
- 1994–95: 17th (Premier League)
- 1995–96: 18th (Premier League) – relegated
- 1996–97: 14th (First Division, tier 2)
- 1997–98: 22nd (First Division) – relegated
- 1998–99: 3rd (Second Division, tier 3), promoted via play-offs
- 1999–2000: 2nd (First Division), automatic promotion
- 2000–01: 18th (Premier League) – relegated
- 2001–02: 1st – champions (First Division), promoted
- 2002–03: 9th
- 2003–04: 16th
- 2004–05: 8th
- 2005–06: 15th
- 2006–07: 14th
- 2007–08: 9th
- 2008–09: 10th
So sorry City fans, try to explain how your bent money didn’t make you winners? It’s like a cocaine dealer or armed robber, going straight after 10 years and using their money to set up very successful legitimate businesses, then lauding it in front of everyone. For me not one of those eight trophies was won, they were stolen; all of them forever will be tainted. Manchester City will always be the Lance Armstrong of English and European football.
And who was hurt beyond Manchester United and Liverpool?
Well the answer is many. Many took direct hits from Manchester City’s cheating. But let’s look at the 2011 FA Cup final with Stoke City, a team that had never won the FA cup and according to the the stats above should have been much more equally suited to a tie with Manchester City at the time. But as we now know they were cheated out of that. Stoke City ultimately lost the FA Cup Final 1-0 This is such a huge thing for a club and city like Stoke here in the Midlands.
The Stoke manager at the time, Tony Pulis, said in the wake of the verdict:
“I still feel cheated. We won’t ever get that day back and the chance to celebrate around Stoke-on-Trent with the cup and medals we so honestly fought for. After breaking the rules, Manchester City got to do that instead. While the process is far from over because Manchester City are expected to appeal, I have to say this verdict and the whole situation has left a very sour taste in my mouth.”
Pulis also pointed towards Manchester City’s spending on Yaya Touré, who was signed from Barcelona for £24mn earning around £180,000 a week.
“Yaya Touré, who scored the winning goal, was reportedly earning 10 times what we were paying any of our players and, on his own, had cost more than our entire starting 11 when they had signed him from Barcelona in 2010.”
“When do we get our FA Cup?”
“That is what all Stoke fans have been asking me since the news broke on Friday. I thought exactly the same.”
“I don’t expect Manchester City to offer back the 2011 FA Cup and the winners’ medals their players received. I don’t seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either. A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely.”
This was the only time Stoke City would reach the final; for the record, Stoke have reached the semi-final stage three times –1899, 1971, and 1972. How do those fans and that club feel now?
Moving on
There seems to be an unlimited number of people who might sue Manchester City, the obvious ones are Manchester United and Liverpool for loss of earnings due to Manchester City’s alleged cheating. But it goes so much deeper than that; what about the teams who were relegated during those years who played against Manchester City and lost points against a previous mid- to lower-table team? Would they have been relegated had it not been for Manchester City’s bent money? So many cases are quite rightfully going to land on Manchester City’s doorstep should they not win an appeal. Teams like any of those below who were relegated in the seasons in question who were relegated.
- 2009-10: Burnley, Hull City, Portsmouth
- 2010-11: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham
- 2011-12: Bolton, Blackburn, Wolves
- 2012-13: Wigan, Reading, QPR
- 2013-14: Norwich, Fulham, Cardiff
- 2014-15: Hull City, Burnley, QPR
- 2015-16: Newcastle, Norwich, Aston Villa
- 2016-17: Hull City, Middlesbrough, Sunderland
- 2017-18: Swansea, Stoke, West Brom
And why would they not? Being in the Premier League is worth millions per year. Manchester City prior to this period were direct competitors with each of these teams and no match for the big teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal etc and they then appear to have unlimited UAE money and didn’t care about the rules everyone else had to follow.
What should be Manchester City’s punishment?
I’ve spent a bit of the last week fuming over this. I started with relegating them two leagues, but then they would simply win those leagues and be back, probably in line for winning a Premier League title. It would also mean any team playing in those leagues would lose a place for promotion; what motivation would there be for teams, knowing they are playing a team that cheats and who will likely win automatic promotion?
So, is the answer relegating them to League 2 with a 9-year transfer ban to match their time cheating? Each one of those seasons facing a high points deduction at the start of the campaign? During this time face a 5 to 9 year transfer ban? And of course be stripped of all those titles with all players asked to return their medals. Something former Manchester City and pundit Danny Mills largely doesn’t disagree on.
But this is still unfair on teams who lose against them, who miss out on promotion or face relegation. The actual fairest way to deal with Manchester City is perhaps to ban them all together from football, just like Lance Armstrong was from cycling. Certainly no team would ever try this again despite how wealthy and entitled their owners felt!
What happens next?
But what really happens next? Well no doubt Manchester City will launch a hugely funded legal challenge to this. But how can we continue even this season with this hanging over us? Could Manchester City win this season?
Perhaps by next season, or even this Christmas, we might all strike as former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor says:
“If I am the other 19 Premier League teams and the punishment does not fit the crime, I am not playing; I am going on strike. All 19 teams are not playing games, as the punishment needs to be severe.”
But what will actually happen, we will need to wait and see. For now, many fans feel let down by their team and are waiting for retribution.
Whatever happens, whatever punishment Manchester City is given, for me at least the Premier League will always remain tainted by all those lost years in which one club unfairly bought its way to the top.
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