04 Oct 2026 10:14:48
Can there be a positive outcome from all of this?
I just don't see how the EPL will ever be the same again. The whole City era, right up to today has been tainted. Even if the period since has not required sham contract, the sine qua non of todays' dominant club with its massive payroll is the cheating during the period the panel has now ruled upon.
Will it reignite the European super league the rich clubs always wanted? And, if so, what will be the economic impact on the EPL?
Back in the 1970s there was a very popular book called "Small is Beautiful" by E F Schumacher. It was "a critique of industrialized Western economic policies that prioritize "bigger is better, " consumption, and endless growth over human well-being and ecological balance"
The EPL has been the antithesis of small is beautiful. It's become more and more a play thing of the global elites, transcending other national leagues in popularity. Only 3 or 4 clubs are owned by Brits. The price paid is that these people don't really give a hoot about the clubs, the fans or even the history. All they care about is money and their image. Our own club, which astonishingly, despite years of losses, has somehow managed to avoid PSR breaches, is perhaps the worst example of all. It's been systematically raped of its cash flows for the purpose of personal enrichment. That process continues to this day with money now being syphoned off for real estate speculation.
PSR was initiated not just to protect individual clubs from bankruptcy but to try to preserve some sense of fair competition within the league itself. One could make a case that this has been enormously successful, making the EPL the dominant global football entertainment simply because of its relative competitiveness from top to bottom. Now we've moved on to rules similar to UEFAs FFP squad cost ratio with as yet unknown consequences.
But, overriding all of this is the stain that City have left on the league. Whether or not they win their appeal or negotiate a punishment that appeases their wealthy autocratic owners, that stain will never be removed in the minds of us, the English people who watch football.
The economic impacts are potentially enormous, not just for City and its owners, but for the whole league, all ts clubs and fans. This changes everything. Is there really anything positive that can come out of this?
04 Oct 2026 11:17:41
I mentioned recently I just don't care as much as I used to, and tbh, I can take or leave it nowadays. You can never stop following your team, it's in your blood, but the over commercialisation of football, particularly in England has ruined the game.
The debt piled on United without any sanction, the obscene fees and salaries we see, the way Sky positions the sport is massively over the top, we have lost all sense of sport.
The City debacle may irrevocably damage the EPL. An indifferent punishment leaves their credibility shattered forever, whilst an appropriate punishment could see a slew of lawsuits, both from City and clubs who feel they were wronged.
I don't see any positive outcome here.
04 Oct 2026 13:08:47
Tour de france has had re ord viewi g figures revenue and attended by more than ever post armstrong so i don't see any long term issues for the epl if they act in the right manner.
04 Oct 2026 14:10:34
Revert back to the Football League.
End the Premier League
Restructure lower leagues in tor region leagues from League 2 down.
Vote on a British League.
05 Oct 2026 11:22:39
Ken, I hope you are right. However I am reminded of Yates's lines. :
All has changed, changed utterly,
A terrible beauty is born.
05 Oct 2026 11:35:05
I think they'll get around it by not making the punishment as harsh as everyone is making it out. The club won't be wiped into oblivion and stripped of every title and every other club in England compensated for what they may or may not have won otherwise. Huge fine, large points deduction that will prevent them winning the league this season but that's about it.
05 Oct 2026 19:03:43
We can't just point fingers at city behaviour though. Those that loaded us with debt share equal blame. Is it any wonder we are so far behind them when our collective net investment is minus £1.7 billion, when you look at interest payments alone added to city overspend. Then you get the principal sum that is now £1.1bn. So we are £2.8bn behind city, that's more than an entire Chelsea along with their first years spending.