29 Sep 2026 22:15:40
Just seen on Sky Sports News the video by the City CEO refuting all charges. It strikes me that the City hierarchy are not total fools. Obviously if guilty they are likely to try to downplay their offences, but to totally refute all charges begs the question.

What if they are actually not guilty of the most serious charge from which all others (as they claim) stem.

1.) 30 Sep 2026
29 Sep 2026 22:46:19
If any new documents or evidence appear now after all this time, then it's authenticity should be seriously questioned. My guess is that city will try and call the panel biased and want this taken out to a normal court.

This is what they did when they took the APT thing to the high court. If they can prove the rules are anti competition etc then the rest is a moot point.

2.) 30 Sep 2026
29 Sep 2026 23:00:34
They've already said that they'll try to take it to the High Court if the appeal fails. That has always been the City strategy, to drag the process out for as long as possible. Presumably, they'll also be pushing to revive the Super League idea while they appeal.

3.) 30 Sep 2026
29 Sep 2026 23:07:33
They come across arrogant and above the law. They are used to getting what they want. I'm not sure they will this time.

4.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 09:42:21
If this did happen and all charged were dropped, I'd hope all the clubs come together and refuse to do business with them.

5.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 09:44:45
Salford, this was something I was considering yesterday while watching all the fallout from the announcement.

If City somehow manage to pull a rabbit out of the hat and are ultimately cleared of everything, I think the Premier League's reputation would be left in serious trouble. It would inevitably raise questions about the organisation's credibility and, more importantly, its ability to administer a fair and credible competition.

I can't imagine the other 19 Premier League clubs, or the numerous clubs who have competed against City during this period, being particularly satisfied if City were found to have done nothing wrong, given the volume of information that has emerged throughout the process and presumably the considerable amount of evidence that the public haven't seen. The Premier League simply have to win the case.

On the flip side, City's categorical denials throughout the entire process raise questions of their own. If they ultimately lose their appeal and are found to have breached the regulations they are accused of breaking, then surely the issue isn't simply about the breaches themselves. Their continued insistence that they have done nothing wrong would inevitably become part of the wider discussion around the case and this needs to be considered when sanctions are given out.

6.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 09:55:48
In my experience of [V.I.P.] Arabs, constant denial and having the view that he who shouts loudest and has the most money / seniority owns the truth.
As said, "in my experience". Think of that what you will.

7.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 12:06:06
Their defense seems to be that the rules weren't fair, so we didn't play by the rules. In no way is this a legitimate defense of the charges. Throw the book at them, and the punishment should be harsher given their lack of transparency and refusal to accept that they broke the rules.

8.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 13:04:39
Which entity runs the Premier League?
The Premier League?
Manchester City?
One seems to think they run it and the other needs to show they run it.

9.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 13:16:34
Money runs the Premier League.

Man City think they have enough money to drag things out until they become so messy that they destabilise the entire league.

We see all the potential issues the verdict can create: clubs awarded trophies, clubs entitled to compensation, clubs that might feel they should never have been relegated. Yet, City are still acting like the case doesn't exist: spending hundreds of millions on new players, paying massive wages, signing new sponsorship deals.

My only explanation is that they are operating under the assumption that they can keep the case unresolved for long enough to plot their escape.

10.) 30 Sep 2026
30 Sep 2026 20:17:49
If they continue to deny the charges and lose an appeal, then the punishment should be harsher.

Just like a criminal court where if you plead not guilty and lose your case.