Analysis of Major Football Scandal

Talked about this being a, an earthquake.

But just how seismic is this, um, for English football?

Uh, I would say it goes beyond English

football, and that's not just because of the

immense geopolitical dimensions of this case.

I mean, look, you can see it in the, um, in the decision itself where they talk

about getting, uh, witness... or sorry, getting, uh, uh, counselor

advice from experts on Abu Dhabi politics and governance.

But also just when you lay out all the details of this, and we

have it now in black and white, with the way Stefan

was just talking about what the

case represents, the words like, uh, conspiracy used, even if that was from

Ferran Soriano, City's own chief executive,

in a critical sense to describing the

Premier League conspiracy theory.

But I suppose that's what, um,

you know, uh, g- we're talking about something so systemic

at the club.

I would say this is the biggest club

scandal in football history. J- I'd genuinely go that far.

I think the only thing that potentially surpasses it

or compares are,

say, the scandals around, uh, the votes

for the winning of the World Cups of 2018 and 2022, a lot of the

FIFA-related stuff. But this actually, again,

this has similar political dimensions

or similar geopolitical dimensions.

We're, we're talking about something that could well become a diplomatic

incident.

Um, and also something that just, I mean,

w- we can use these words openly now because

we have this decision,

and it is of course pending an appeal, and City themselves

were extremely strident

in their response. But we've never really seen a scale of

cheating

like this. Um, the, the one comparable model, modern

example is the, uh, Calciopoli scandal in Italy,

which came down to kind of the interpretation of phone calls around

referees, saw kind of the serial champions there,

Juventus, among a few other clubs

punished. But this now is a, like, we've got figures in black and white

on a page here. Uh, it's much less open to interpretation

than a lot of that Calciopoli, uh, scandal.

And obviously as Stefan, uh, also referenced just before I came on,

I mean, it's

the stridency of the language used.

The fact sh- the word sham is used eight times across the 40

pages. The talk about the witnesses and the, kind of the testimony given,

um, I've generally never seen anything like

it.

And I'm, I mu- I must say as well, 'cause obviously we speak already

throughout the

day been speaking to a lot of people in football, and a lot of people that had

intimate knowledge of the previous City cases where they had their own

opinions and suspicions and criticisms of City, and they all

say that this decision far surpassed what they expected.

Yeah. A- and Miguel, talk us through, you talk there about Man City's

defense. I mean, what are they pushing back with?

Um, you know, and, and we know that this could potentially drag on.

So

this was hinted at obviously in the statement from a spokesperson on Friday

where

the word partisan was used. It had been felt in the last few days the

line they

would pursue would be about, uh, the perceived independence

of the panel. I think, uh, that, uh, they've made that pretty clear

now even in kind of today's statement and in the

video by Ferran, Chief Executive Ferran Soriano to staff.

There is talk, as I say, of the conspiracy theory.

There's constant references to the opinion of, um, of, of

the independent Premier League com- Commission.

There's reference actually to how it's a Premier League commission rather than how

it's an independent commission. So obviously that's gonna be the line.

Uh, from speaking to people

with legal knowledge who work in football, I think that, look,

who knows what's happened. We're, we're very much in uncharted territory

here.

Uh, but so far people seem to have given the

short shrift just on the basis of how

the kind of process goes. But again, who knows?

City have until Friday to appeal. That's obviously, it's,

it's obviously expected

that they will, they've said they will.

Um, there's the potential for an initial

outcome in this Premier League side of

it, um, in November. But then obviously there's

the potential recourse to the High Court and this going on years.

But through all... I mean,

the other, the other side of that I must say is even if City

were to win this, win

an appeal, and it would because of the nature of

this, unless there was a, a

retrial, come down to,

if, say it was something on independence, uh, uh, independence of the panel or came

down to a technicality, uh, comparable to that.

That'd be two cases now where the decision has been overturned on

technicalities. And so, like, there's one thing winning in court like

that.

There's another thing, uh, for want of a better phrase,

winning in the court of,

uh, public opinion. Because now, like, th- this is the kind of the real dimension

we're getting to here now. The name of the club

is essentially blackened.

Like, like y- y- I mean, when you're...

For, for all they won and for all the fans celebrate kind of the

titles they won

under this, this is kind of the total opposite.

And, and, and already I must say you can see what

usually on social media, and I've

experienced this in real life as well, fans kind of are stridently defensive of

the

ownership. Now it suddenly looks like there's a few

that are beginning to,

like that are essentially blaming them for bringing the club through this, through

this disgrace.