People are saying it like Man City were cheating on the pitch thatโs why they were winning.
1. Financial information โ 54 charges
From 2009/10 to 2017/18, City were accused of failing to provide accurate financial information to the Premier League.
This particularly concerned: revenue, sponsorship, income, operating costs
the clubโs overall financial position
2. Player and manager payments โ 14 charges
City were accused of failing to properly disclose the full amounts paid to players and managers between 2009/10 and 2017/18.
3. UEFA Financial Fair Play โ 5 charges
City were accused of failing to comply with UEFAโs financial regulations/FFP rules between 2013/14 and 2017/18.
4. Premier League Profitability & Sustainability Rules โ 7 charges
They were also accused of breaching the Premier Leagueโs own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) during 2015/16โ2017/18.
5. Failure to cooperate โ 35 charges
City were accused of not properly cooperating with the Premier Leagueโs investigation, which ran from December 2018 to February 2023.
But I keep seeing people talk about it as if the charges prove that City won all those Premier League titles because they cheated on the pitch.
There is no charge here saying City fixed matches, bribed referees, manipulated results or illegally influenced individual games.
Stripping Man Cityโs titles makes no sense. Title forfeiture should be reserved for match-fixing or referee bribery. Financial rule breaches should mean hefty fines or transfer bans, not rewriting history.
It may sound a bit reactionary but I promise it is not. Xabi Alonso has absolutely lost me. I am not angry at him or anyone, I simply do not just trust him again.