02 Oct 2026 11:14:12
Below from Bloomberg, kind of explains Andy Burnham's submissive comments about the UAE earlier this week.
"UAE officials have warned the UK government that the severity of Man City's punishment could undermine their appetite for future grand-scale commitments in Britain, according to people familiar with the matter
They consider the Premier League's actions to have an influence on the bilateral state relationship, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing undisclosed information
The extraordinary pressure comes after Andy Burnham faced criticism, including from within government, for saying Man City's Abu Dhabi owners should not be disqualified specifically because of the investment they bring to Britain".
As have said previously, I can't see the punishment for City being too severe because of the geopolitics involved here. Happy to be proven wrong though.
02 Oct 2026 12:01:52
If the Premier League do not deal with it then I suspect the European league could raise its head again and I doubt they would include City.
If it has now come down to threats then it is effectively bullying and no governing body should make a decision on that basis.
If this country subsided to threats then we would all be speaking German now.
02 Oct 2026 13:12:26
This is really the major part of the story where the consequences are potentially most significant. Yes, of course nobody outside the club wants Citeh to get away with such a severe case of cheating, but we're dealing with autocratic owners who do not live by the same rules as us. The law does not apply to them. That's how they see the world. And, they have enormous power.
The cats out of the bag. If the appeal succeeds we will all think it's a whitewash. They're guilty in the public eye. Citeh are going to be greeted by extremely hostile crowds wherever they go. Enormous damage has already been done.
Burnham has been criticized for his remarks so far, but let's be fair, whether we like it or not, this is a matter that transcends football. It's got major financial and international relations implications, and is rightly a matter that's of major importance to a prime minister seeking to balance our laws with our need for investment and good international relationships. The EPL has been a major success for Britain. This could be a watershed moment when the downturn starts, and if does how does that affect other clubs, especially those like ours that are already weighed down by debt and losses.
We made a faustian bargain when we started to let states own football clubs through pseudo independent bodies.
Who was it that said football is the most important of all trivial things? Well, coming on top of the Infantino mess, football maybe trivial but its tentacles are not.
02 Oct 2026 14:51:56
There is no way a breakaway league would not include city imo. I think there is every cuddle now that they will be the drivers of such a league and perhaps the 1st english club to join the likes of madrid barca psg bayern ajax galatasaray with possible saudi and asian teams too.
I don't think city will be expelled from the epl for that very reason. If city we're expelled i think there would be a breakaway league formalised within 12 months.
The epl in that situation will become a lot less relevant and powerful.
City need to be punished but not extinguished.
Strip them of their titles a heavy fine heavy compensation to other clubs a transfer ban / limits and a points deduction re-ocurring for several seasons. Something of that order imo would be appropriate.
Possible director bans would also be in order but they'll just work from home?.
02 Oct 2026 16:35:49
Points deduction every season will result in same, if we're saying they will look at breakaway league.
It's pointless in my view trying to go back to strip titles etc and all the problems that would open up, in clubs complaining about champs leagues, relegations and players losing medals and sue them, it opens up huge can of worms etc etc
All they can do is huge fine which will like water of a ducks back plus big points deduction in this season which will result in relegation plus a 3 year ban of returning to epl. and move on. this stripping titles or reassigning is ridicolous because can of worms it opens.
I wonder if Andy got squeaky bum did he turn a blind eye to anything planning etc, or donations? I wonder, he certainly back tracking big time now, this all happened on his watch of his beloved city Manchester where he wants to take praise for everything! Squeaky squeaky bum time I would say.
02 Oct 2026 18:22:51
Stripping of titles is a must imo they can't claim titles they have been proven to have cheated in. I would not hand them to roberts up just lane a void in record books no champions only runners up.
Im not sure what they did in lance armstrong case.
Did they hand them to runners up?
If they have broken no legal laws then litigation for compensation will be very difficult for other clubs i think there is a lot of hyperbole around that.
02 Oct 2026 18:39:33
I thought the European League was an attempt to get around financial regulations and shared tv revenues?
Doubt that they'd shun a club for spending too much money.
02 Oct 2026 19:53:59
How can anyone say they would have or would not have won those certain games though, Aguero scored the winner in that famous goal, how do we know he would not have been bought and paid for under normal circumstances how does anyone know some kid might have scored in the same game, it's all guess work, hence I say just leave the past records as past records, move on EPL are to blame too for taking so long to get to this stage.
Huge fine that's get put back into grass roots football, point reduction that relegates them this season and 3 or 5 year Epl ban. That in itself will take care of transfers in and out. then up to FIFA or UEFA to do their bans.
I am not for this stripping titles or appointing other winners in years gone by. Stop trying to play with history, we have enough of that in U.K. now by the woke brigade.
Plenty more may come out yet and bring others down too, gloves are off now with City, bet there be some more high profile names dragged in yet!
03 Oct 2026 07:40:35
I am generally agreeing with Tumble
You cannot say they cheated and at the same time leave them with titles they won from that cheating. I also think you shouldn't hand them to second place, just a blank. It actually then reminds everyone for eternity of what happened. I do not ever want to hear a comparison between Pep and SAF ever again. I also don't think throwing them out of the league will happen. It needs, however, a points deduction of enormous level say 75 to ensure relegation and 30 points a season for the next 5 seasons they come into the Premier League, take the titles away.
Compensation is an interesting one, there will be claims going in anyway but can they go into administration to avoid it? After all if they are going to be deducted points a few more won't make any difference.
The Euro league is something I am not sure City would be invited to. The big European clubs would want the Prem clubs and I am not sure our big clubs will want to play with City, not for some time anyway.
03 Oct 2026 09:40:23
City's appeal already has a huge contradiction in it based on 2015 evidence produced for other evidence regarding government and Etihad money. They are going out guns blazing and this is not looking good for Burnham if people dig a little deeper imo. It maybe that City's money feathered his nest whilst he was Mayor.
03 Oct 2026 15:06:09
Like I said I don't agree with stripping titles or handing over titles it's too difficult to say who would have been there or not been there at the time they won, how would anyone know if a player would have scored or not it would all be based on guesswork, 11 players were out on the pitch and managed and they won, it was still 11 v 11 would it have been the same 11 if not untold cash, we have no way of being 100% about that it's gone it's done, no point in harping on about the past, it's from this point forward that counts and trying to stop the EPL from being tarnished anymore.
The king of the North harps on about yesteryear! That's enough.