Nic-Merwe

‼️ City Are Guilty. Now Make the Punishment Fit the Crime I’ve written a lot about the Manchester City case over the years and people have often asked me the same question: What punishment would you impose if the findings survive appeal? Well, here it is. Finish this Premier League season, but impose a points deduction sufficient to guarantee relegation and, subject to acceptance, allow the EFL to place them wherever they see fit. Then: - No parachute payments. - 30 point deduction the following season. - 20 points the season after that. - 10 points the season after that. - Three years of severe transfer spending restrictions. - Strip the domestic honours directly affected, including those after the initial investigatory period, and leave them vacant. No retrospective champions. - Pay compensation where rival clubs can demonstrate genuine financial loss. And finally, any owners, directors or senior executives implicated in the wrongdoing (potentially: Sheikh Mansour, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Ferran Soriano, Danny Wilson, Claire Catlin, Txiki Begiristain etc.) should face the regulator’s suitability process and, where they fail it, be banned from English football. I don’t want Manchester City Football Club destroyed forever. City supporters, Liam Gallagher included, didn’t devise financial schemes or sit around boardroom tables constructing sham arrangements. I want the competitive advantage gained through years of rule breaking destroyed, and those responsible held accountable. One enormous points deduction followed by promotion and business as usual wouldn’t cut it. The consequences should follow City for years. Because if nine seasons of serious financial wrongdoing can ultimately be overcome with one bad season and a large cheque, what deterrent is there? Make the punishment hurt. Make it last. Make sure nobody ever considers doing it again.