AT the business end of a campaign that is seeing Manchester City chase an unprecedented quadruple, an unprecedented quadruple threat of possible litigation dominated the headlines as it was revealed that FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League and the FA all intend to officially investigate claims originating from a series of Der Spiegel leaks that got the footballing community into a tremendous twist last November.
The claims are multifarious and unquestionably serious ranging from an accusation that City adjusted sponsorship contracts; to allegedly paying player’s images through a shell company; to purportedly paying £200,000 to Jaden Sancho’s agent when the player was fourteen and it stands to reason that should any of these charges be substantiated then fair punishment is only right and proper.
The situation however is not that straightforward. It is anything but.
Critics: Man City's success is tainted by investigations into wrongdoing
Pep: pic.twitter.com/PchtswYW96
— Goal (@goal) March 9, 2019
Let’s move past the timing of the announcements that came in quick succession 8/10ths through the season meaning historic charges could now potentially disrupt, even derail a historic and incredible achievement for Pep Guardiola’s side. Could the investigations have waited eight weeks given that they are presently founded solely on accusation?
You’re damn right they could have, and furthermore should have. Let’s move past also the fact that Liverpool were reportedly instrumental in pressurising the Premier League into going after their title rivals. The Merseysiders stand to directly benefit from any distraction the investigation brings or indeed any punishment forthcoming and there is something deeply unsavoury about this.
Let’s even move past the source of these claims – which by and large derive from illegally hacked emails – and even put aside that much of what City are being prematurely condemned for hardly amount to open and shut cases, your honour.
Because in essence last week was the culmination of a decade’s worth of castigation and belittlement; of an organised and clear attempt to damage the club for their temerity to buy their way to the top table in a short space of time to join others who have bought their way to the top table over a much longer period.
Immediately @Mancity went top of the League for the first time in 3months.
FA – We are investigating City
UEFA- We are investigating City
FIFA- We are investigating City
MEDIA – Pep verbally agrees to sign with Juventus.I Love this game! ❤️ ⚽
— Luigi Riva (@tunde_vorm) March 9, 2019
It is a stigmatisation engineered by the authorities, media and establishment and its one that has escalated in its hostility this year, being stripped of any nuance or shade it once may have contained. Is it any coincidence that such blanket vilification has occurred so soon after City dominated their domestic competition in 2017/18? Of course not.
First there was the Der Spiegel leaks and its accompanying hysteria and not for one second is there any insinuation that the German publication is complicit in any specific harmful intent towards City.
Indeed Football Leaks have concentrated far more of their attention towards Manchester United in recent years which may surprise some and while we’re on the subject it’s worth pointing out that Liverpool – the media’s valiant good guys to City’s cheating villains – have previously failed FFP while additionally been fined £100,000 and banned from signing academy players for two years after breaching set-in-stone rules. You may have missed those headlines. You certainly wouldn’t have missed City’s therefore it is the hysteria that chides.
There followed a frankly bizarre news cycle that witch-hunted City supporters for not protesting at their owners because of the highly disagreeable human rights record of the United Arab Emirates. The Times called us ‘sewer rats’ for that as it became clear that it was now open season on the fans too.
FIFA, UEFA and the FA deciding which of them will bring down Man City. pic.twitter.com/IQvrJrvQ3O
— Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) March 8, 2019
On a more trivial note City were soon after rounded on for making the league ‘uncompetitive’ due to being a whole two points clear of Liverpool. This of course was an extension to the long-running slur that City are ‘ruining football’ which in itself has ran alongside persistent charges of ‘sportswashing’, ‘financial doping’ and, according the Daily Mirror, being the ‘whore of world football’.
For ten years now City have been the Millwall of the media; they have endured double standards as standard courtesy of the press and authorities and seen narratives that would have been celebrated elsewhere (the emergence of Phil Foden being one) purposely polluted as a negative. They have seen a young superstar in Raheem Sterling vilified remorselessly on no grounds whatsoever and frankly the list goes on; the list is endless and one day I will write a book on it but what is interesting is that finally now the club are responding robustly.
This is a very welcome development because for far too long they were aware of the problem but believed appeasement was the answer. More so the minority of Blues who have long denied the club is treated uniquely have come around to the incontestable truth.
What this means is that a club and its supporters are finally standing together, bolstered by a siege mentality and ready to fight back. In reality we are the soundest fan-base of the top six but there will be no more attempting to be reasonable to the unreasonable entrenched in prejudice. If you want us so badly to be the big bad wolf in a sport corrupted to the core then the big bad wolf we will be. We will delight in making the league uncompetitive and delight in signing your best player. We will laugh loud and long at the pain this inflicts. You did this football. This one’s on you.
