Such a terrible take.

City''s players aren't the victims. The entire competition, and everyone who has invested in it are the victims.

City can not be allowed to remain in the PL under current ownership. And they can not be allowed to retain titles won through cheating. The have to go down as "no winner awarded".

This is the bare minimum and starting point for meaningful penalties imo. Anything less validates and encourages cheating.

Those players who took OFF THE BOOKS payments would know they were doing something wrong.  Stop making excuses for them

I think it should be noted, citys cheating has invalidated nearly 2 decades worth of football results.

Nearly 1/6th of the history of the league is completely tainted by the most succesful club cheating on an entierly diffrent scale to anything else.

This is so so so serious, we are talking about a massive chunk of football history you need to thunk about it in that framing. Nothing short of removal of owners and removal from the league structure is not far enough. They need to start as a new club effectively given that kind of damamge to the game.

Im looking for a punishment that prevents them from winning the Champions league this season, cos that'll make them legitimately play there next season and give them something to hold on to, and spit on our faces

Love this format especially when i miss out on certain part of the pod

The ramifications of this is huge. The punishment would have to be swift and severe because they cannot have a team that has been found guilty of 114 charges to continue operating and competing for the premier league title this season, especially being found guilty. It allows other clubs to sue the league, it casts a dark stain on this football brand because the world knows about this cheating scandal, and because they are opening in Europe also, it puts the UEFA Champions League in a bad position also because it allows teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid etc, because if they win the Champions League and was found guilty of cheating, the level of complaints coming from those clubs AND the suing in claims court against UEFA would be crazy…thinking that the club itself has victims within it outside the fans is crazy

It’s not unheard of. Juventus were found to be cheating and were relegated immediately
And what about players who knowingly accepted 3rd party payments?
Pep must have known but he will never say it. Accountability
But if the PL find out he was taking 3rd party payments then his up the creek without a paddle

I wrote this elsewhere, but I think this should be along the lines of punishment City should face:

1) vote by other current premier league clubs for expulsion from premier league. Not relegation. Expulsion. Meaning if the vote passes, City must find another league to take them to continue playing football. Not automatically you go to a lower league. You have to beg / bribe another league to take you. No way back to Premier League if not in England.
- I dont think it will pass. Way too harsh, and not all clubs will want to piss off city owners. But this is about establishing precedence. You set this kind of vote here, next club caught cheating - you know your very existence is on the line.

2) Reduction of City's CSR to 50% (or 40%), instead of current 75% for clubs in europe, and 85% for non-europe teams. - this should hurt their ability to keep their squad together, or to bounce back due to them having player sales / multiyear sponsorships. CSR limit stays until several years of good behavior is established (like parole eligibility). Minimum 5 years.

3) massive points deductions. A massive amount (say 114 pts) but staggered over several seasons. E.g. season 1 = -30pts, season 2 = -25pts, season 3 = -20 pts, season 4 = -15 pts, season 5 and 6 = -12 pts each (114 pts total). I do think 114 pts as a penalty is way too low, but I think hitting City over multiple seasons is the way to go. This does not guarantee relegatjon, but if City are not kicked out of the league, will at least put high pressure on the club.

4) lawsuits. I think the premier league will set a bar to simplify City's culpability. No lawsuits from teams currently in the Premier League. Your success is impacted but you're not financially worse off with TV money. But any club relegated during the 09-18 season (especially those who never made it back to Premier League) are allowed to sue for compensation. Perhaps as a group, where the fine can reach a billion.

5) compensations- City must give back all earned prize money from those years 09-18, plus forfeiture of next 3 years prize money (excluding balloon payments if relegated). The forfeited prize money will be shared by all other 19 premièr League clubs.

6) trophies - the return of the physical trophies if any. The removal of any advertising / mention of titles won in stadium, merchandise, advertising etc. On EPL record side - voiding of winner. No new winner declared.

7) online communities - someone smart is going to create a super computer program and number crunch the likely performance of City without the illegally acquired players and managers - to sim where City might be now as a club. I suspect they would be around 7th to 14th in the league - msybe occasionally finishing as high as 5th. They would have spent their vast fortune on building up scouting networks, youth recruitment - cole palmer, morgan Rogers etc. would be still on their books. And if they sold them, then they might rival Brighton for signings.

Thats the general framework I'd start with.

If my family benefited from a lifestyle funded by crime, they don’t get to keep the proceeds. Is it unfair on them? Yes it is. But whose fault is that. City fans and players can go and sue the owners for damages if they want to etc but this is a legal matter not a moral issue

People seem to forget Pep was also a drugs cheat as a player.. he's not an angel. He knew 100% and knew exactly when to jump ship. Once a cheat always a cheat.

To much def wet once of Pep. The man who instructed Munich not to buy KDB in his last season only fit City to get him ready for Pep the next season. He knew, at least he knew enough.

Non league football is THE ONLY apt punishment, their “success” (THE CLUB FFS!) was a CESSPIT from top to bottom and everything and everyone has to be punished to the enth degree, the more they won the more people WE’RE PAID!!! THEY’RE ALL CRIMINALS! 🤷‍♂️

What i think should happen as punishments:
1) vote by other current premier league clubs for expulsion from premier league. Not relegation. Expulsion. Meaning if the vote passes, City must find another league to take them to continue playing football. Not automatically you go to a lower league. You have to beg / bribe another league to take you. No way back to Premier League if not in England.
- I dont think it will pass. Way too harsh, and not all clubs will want to piss off city owners. But this is about establishing precedence. You set this kind of vote here, next club caught cheating - you know your very existence is on the line.

2) Reduction of City's PSR to 50% (or 40%), instead of current 75% for clubs in europe, and 85% for non-europe teams. - this should hurt their ability to keep their squad together. Or to just bounce back. PSR limit stays until several years of good behavior (like parole eligibility).

3) massive points deductions. A massive amount (say 114 pts) but staggered over several seasons. E.g. season 1 = -30pts, season 2 = -25pts, season 3 = -20 pts, season 4 = -15 pts, season 5 and 6 = -12 pts each (114 pts total). I do think 114 pts as a penalty is way too low, but I think hitting City over multiple seasons is the way to go.

4) lawsuits. I think the league will put a hard cap. No lawsuits from teams currently in the Premier League. But any club relegated during the 09-18 season still never made it back to Premier League, allowed to sue.

5) compensations- City must give back all earned prize money from those years 09-18, plus forfeiture of next 3 years prize money (excluding balloon payments if relegated). The forfeited prize money will be shared by all other 19 premièr League clubs.

Thats the general framework I'd start with.

It's not unprecedented, Calciopoli exists

EXPULSION

The Manchester City owners are responsible. They should be punished, expel Sheik Mansour from any involvement in British football, this is a matter for the British government.

what did Pep THINK was happening ha

Can we stop saying Saudi Arabia when it's the UAE that own City
It's like saying the US when you mean Canada

Pep Fraudiola ?