So it is emerging that City knew about their guilty verdict back in the summer, prompting them to spend £350m on new players. This can’t be right? Would Elliot Anderson be a United player now if City were given a transfer ban at the time?

I still cannot believe they are guilty. Listening to their statements and leaked internal videos suggests their legal team have all this covered and they have provided counter evidence to the sham contracts. Of course they are capable of lying, but something feels off here based on how far apart the parties are on this.. Could the PL have F'd up?

stevesharkey493d ago

Here we go Fantasy Island is making a dramatic return

stephenjholmes14d ago

This is far too large to be lies from the investigating personnel. 5-10 charges could be swept under the financial carpet, but this is on an industrial scale. There is no way they are innocent

adnan.riaz4d ago

Not only him! Think about HOW many players would have ended at other clubs had it not been for Man City's shady business.

caleb.sage4d ago

Butterfly effect is crazy. There are just so many what ifs after all of this.

adnan.riaz4d ago

You could write lists on it. So many different outcomes could have played out!

jonny4d ago

While I don’t think he’s all that good, i feel bad for him. City surely lied and didn’t disclose their guilt?

dancoombs4d ago

Anderson’s behaviour since he signed makes me have considerably less sympathy

david.comerford5d ago

Surely the players they signed didn't know this was coming? If not, imagine what they're thinking atm

adnan.riaz4d ago

Can't really fault players for the actions of the owners in this case. This is all on City's owners and board.

febced15d ago

Man City knew about their fate a few months ago. What about the English FA who allowed this investigation to drag out for a few long years❓ It's disgraceful ethics and conduct from both Man City and the English FA.

adnan.riaz4d ago

It took incredibly long, sure, but this is equally unprecedented territory, so it makes sense for it to take as long as it did. It was 115 charges after all!

stephenjholmes15d ago

Money talks!

kilham.max5d ago

Yeah, just scandalous. Whole thing stinks. No transparency from City or the Prem.

john.haigh5d ago

It appears increasingly as if the appeal is going to be dragged out even longer than the inquiry. End result: Zip is going to happen.

dancoombs5d ago

£900m worth of false accounting is hard to sweep under the carpet

dantowen819515d ago

They’ve got to be booted out of professional football until their owners are forced to sell up - I can see no other solution

dale.odonnell5d ago

Agreed. Everyone complicit should be banned from football for life.

dantowen819515d ago

They can come back under new owners as a phoenix club

pranav.shahaney5d ago

Nothing about City’s handling of this situation makes them look good. Right from the start, they have been dodgy and evasive. Hung out the fans, managers and players out to dry

markmarston5d ago

If City knew and didn’t communicate that to their new signings like Bouaddi, Fernandez etc… that’s an absolute disgrace

dale.odonnell5d ago

They’ve done the same to their fans - sold them all lies.

george.patten5d ago

The whole thing is a sham. Like saying they’re only guilty from 2009-18 or whatever. Just ignoring that all the success they achieved after was built on the money they spent when they cheated!

dancoombs5d ago

100 per cent. The only reason they have been charged for the subsequent years is because it hasn’t been properly investigated yet

dale.odonnell5d ago

Also you would think if they knew they’d been found guilty in the summer, their contract arrangements for players signed are water tight. Time will tell if those who represented the new signings at the time asked important questions about the charges.

dale.odonnell5d ago

This doesn’t fill me with confidence that they will get the punishment they deserve. Ridiculous.