When the articles began emerging on Friday of the possible 2 season-long champions league ban for Manchester City, I honestly felt bad… that they were still so far behind Liverpool after having broken financial fair play rules. Whoops, maybe a bit too harsh; as a Manchester United fan, I’ll try to keep my biases aside while exploring the cause and effect of Man City’s severe punishment. 

Manchester City (home field) – talk of the town for EPL fans

First, let’s gloss over the facts. Manchester City has allegedly broken financial fair play laws this year, and they are currently fighting their punishment in court, which is a ban from European Club Competitions (namely Champions League or the Europa Cup) for two seasons starting next year. “Financial doping”, as viewers frequently refer to it as – is banned in order to prevent any single team from having an unfair advantage of being able to recruit the most skilled of players. It’s like hacking the Fantasy League website and giving yourself enough coins to pay for both Liverpool’s defensive line and Man City’s midfield (and maybe Liverpool’s offensive line too if you are really disregarding any sort of subtlety). But in real life, the “coins” can’t be created out of thin air, and Man City has already been fined 49 million for breaching this same regulation in 2014, so this is quite a make or break case in terms of sponsorship and future finances. In fact, they just recently signed Guardiola as a manager, and it is quite clear his main purpose was to boost their Champions League chances. But if they can’t fight off the 30 million pound charge and two season ban, there’s no telling the chaos that might emerge next year for their top players (and managers) without the option of earning back that money (via European Leagues).

Spanish professional football professional Josep Guardiola Sala

Before I start analyzing what this means for other teams and the future of the league, let’s take a look at the full extent of their foul play compared to ones of the past. Obviously, Man City is not the first club to attempt a loophole through financial rules. In fact, just a few years ago Chelsea faced similar charges (a single-season ban, though) after their own financial doping. The difference being Chelsea cheated a little bit more logically. Chelsea used a portion of their money to advance their academy, so when the charges came and some of their top players fled to more capable teams, they were able to bring up wringers like Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount (who can still be seen playing on/carrying the team today). After the charges, Chelsea had clearly predicted they would be unable to sign new players, and so they built a phenomenal academy and sent out their best players-in-training on loan. Chelsea was able to pull up said players and continue at a high level of play, shocking many fans and giving the public likable young role models for adolescent fans. Manchester City, on the other hand, did not support themselves with such a luxurious backup plan. Although their academy is admittedly quite strong, it is nowhere near as proficient as the one which Chelsea built up.

22-year-old Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham

Now, onto the most significant of matters, what does this ban (if it goes through) mean for the future of the league? Most likely, little will change this Champions League season. Granted the large money deficit Man City will face… and the nightmarish amount of press and legal difficulties as well. For this season, it is almost guaranteed that Liverpool will win the premier league, and both teams will compete for the Champions League title. Also, the premier league competition and FA cup will remain generally the same (although unlike last season Manchester City most likely will not be able to win the premier league again, depending on what players decide to leave). But… the most important question remains… What’s next for Kevin De Bruyne? As the stunning player he is, it’s clear he wouldn’t want to lose out on his shot in the Champions League for the next two years. Not only that but De Bruyne is 28 which is considered a soccer player’s prime as the normal retiring age is 31. So with that in mind, what team will get to him first? There really is no answer that stands out. All I can say is that the current speculation points toward him joining the Liverpool squad (which my sister – who has ironically become a die-hard Liverpool fan after watching their many successes this past season – is definitely in favor of). 

A picture of 28-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, from an article already hypothesizing him moving to Real Madrid

Overall, even though Chelsea made financial loopholes seem effortless to carry out, it’s clear that Manchester City won’t be bouncing back quite as forcefully. And… Now that the factual discussion is over – as a Manchester United fan – I can honestly say I’d take an upper mid-table position over Man City’s situation any day. As a fan, it’s important to check out the background of a club before getting too passionate, because a team that has consistency and is open with their player trade-offs will be a lot more bearable to support in the future as the scandals arise. And of course, make sure to factor in these politics before making any predictions for next season! Although, for this season, with all the problematic strategies currently being implemented by top clubs, is anyone else hoping for a Leicester City level plot twist this season?

WORKS CITED:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/51510284