Manchester City were found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League rules by an independent commission, and among the mass of comment the verdict generated, Roberto Mancini’s reaction may have been the most telling. The former manager made millions from one of the “sham contracts” identified in the case, and his response to the fallout was that it was “not my concern”. His relationship with the club, in effect, began and ended with the money he earned there.
That is the starting point of Will Unwin’s argument in The Guardian: Mancini is a microcosm of the modern club, hired for his expertise and richly rewarded for it. He was deemed the best man City could get, and a club powered by a win-at-all-costs attitude accommodated him at great expense in a manner the independent commission concluded had circumnavigated the rules.
City, the column argues, remain bullish in the face of findings that they are guilty of impressively tawdry financial breaches. Innocence is maintained and there is no contrition. What the club needs from its supporters is buy-in to the idea of a “Premier League conspiracy theory” and of “irrefutable evidence” backing its case.
Pep Guardiola often served as City’s auxiliary spokesperson, voicing complete faith in everything done higher up the chain and backing both the chief executive and the chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak. With silverware weighing down the trophy cabinet, those answers were readily accepted. Now, the argument runs, there are far more questions to answer.
That loyalty runs deep. One City fan on the radio this week pronounced that Manchester is used to fighting the authorities, citing Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes — a reference that sits a long way from disguised funding schemes. A scan of social media in search of dissenting City voices instead turns up a stream of comments backing the board and shaming those who speak out.
The club’s past offers an odd counterpoint. City’s self-sabotage once involved not realising what result was required to stay in the Premier League and paying an inflated price for players such as Lee Bradbury, a combination that sent them down the divisions. More nostalgic supporters continue to celebrate those days, but “York away” is no longer the nadir of the club’s history. The tapestry includes relegation with Alan Ball, promotion under Joe Royle, and the signing of the former world footballer of the year George Weah, who disappeared again after nine appearances.
Everything changed in 2008, when Sheikh Mansour and Abu Dhabi United Group arrived and carried City from mediocrity to a run of successes their fans were right to celebrate. Football is an outlet and a release from day-to-day life, and few would turn down the shift from regular abject failure to titles. An end-justifies-the-means approach was implemented. If the financial price was high, the reputational cost, in this reading, has turned out to be higher still.
Appeals are to come and the dust may never properly settle on the case. City will explore every avenue to overturn the verdict, which is only right if they believe themselves innocent, but any victory would carry meaning only if it rests on evidence rather than on financial muscle hiring more legal experts in search of a loophole. It was damning that the commission deemed witnesses to have provided false accounts, and references to “sham agreements” and strategies to disguise the source of funding ought to have made for depressing reading for those who were in the stands for the best moments of their lives.
The Independent Football Regulator will get to test its strength in such matters, with powers that include the right to force a sale. Signing up to the European Super League showed the direction of travel, and on that occasion the supporters won. The argument is that they need to show their anger again.
City’s next Premier League game comes at Anfield a week on Sunday, giving those travelling plenty of time to conjure a response. The talk in the minibuses, on the concourses and in the stands will be about one thing only, with many differing opinions shared. At the heart of it, everyone making that trip — and those at the Etihad Stadium the following week — wants a club they can be proud to support. ADUG provided that for a long period; it is unlikely to be able to do so again.
The answer, in this view, is for City to reflect their history and values by finding people with football expertise who can navigate a tumultuous period and lead the club forward with the best interests of the club and the wider community at heart. Should the worst available punishments be meted out, the owners can leave, staff can find new jobs and the players will not be short of offers, but the fans will be left behind. As at Bury, Macclesfield and others down the pyramid, the supporters pay the heaviest price. City’s followers, the column concludes, would do well not to blindly back the owners now.