Manchester City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges levelled against them, with the verdicts later confirmed by the Premier League. The club continue to deny the charges and are appealing against the decision, and news of the guilty verdicts began to emerge 14 days ago. The dust has far from settled.
The case has been hanging over the Premier League since February 2023 and shows no sign of an immediate resolution, with the appeal outcome and any potential sanctions still unknown. If City are unsuccessful in their appeal, the possible sanctions are wide-ranging and include a substantial fine, a points deduction, transfer bans and even expulsion from the Premier League. The charges relate to a period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, during which City won the Premier League three times, including pipping Liverpool to the title in 2013-14.
For supporters, the wait has been an emotional grind. Steven McInerney, a 41-year-old City fan from Manchester whose first match was in 1994, called it “one of the longest weeks of my life”, with the situation seeming to change every few seconds. “My mood’s varied between doomscrolling and catastrophising to suddenly feeling quite defiant and thinking this is just football,” he said. “People largely didn’t expect the verdict to come because this had been going on for so long. It blindsided me and I think it blindsided the football world. All I want to do is make sure my club is going to survive this.”
Rachel Herdson, from Altrincham, a season ticket holder since 1989, said her support was unwavering. “Last Friday, when I went to bed, I was a Manchester City fan. I woke up a City fan. And guess what? Even after the bombshell, the Premier League statement, I am still a City fan,” she said. The club’s appeal gives her more belief that they will clear their name, although she accepts the damage may be lasting. “Don’t get me wrong I am not doing cartwheels, because the club’s name is being tarnished,” she said. “And I think even if we go to the High Court and win any sort of appeal, it’ll still be tarnished. In all this, it’s being lost what some of the achievements were. The likes of Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva… what they won in the game… This is my club. I love this club. And if the worst happens and our next derby is against Altrincham, I’ll be there like I always have been.”
Fan groups are organising an “old-school away day” at Anfield, calling on the 3,000-strong travelling support to wear retro shirts and take inflatables. Inflatable bananas were popularised by City fans in the 1980s and have been synonymous with the club ever since, and the intention behind the day is to say that City won’t be defined by what has happened over the past 10-15 years. Season ticket holder Dave Wilson, who will be at Anfield, said: “The fans have been through some dark times and we got through it with humour. We were in the second tier when the bananas thing came out and football was not in a great place overall. It was to bring some fun. City fans won’t hide from our football club and whatever ends up happening, we – as fans – will do it in our unique way.”
Rylan Vernon was born in Manchester in 2008 and, while most of his friends are Manchester United fans, he chose the blue half of the city. Now 18, he has known only success, with the high point being the Treble in 2022-23. “Obviously I love my team – I back them all the way,” he said. “The rules were put in place by big teams so no-one else could get a chance to become a big team. And now that someone has, who was little, they’re trying to do them for financial fair play.” The teenager does not want to entertain the possibility that the club might fail in their appeal, and says they will retain his full backing regardless of the division they find themselves in. “Nothing’s confirmed yet, but I’ll back my team whenever. City for life. Even if we did go down, we’d come straight back up,” he added.
City return to action after the international break with an away match against Liverpool, and will head to Anfield top of the Premier League, with supporters feeling that work on the pitch should not be overshadowed by events off it. Kevin Parker, an official supporters’ club representative, said: “The players are professionals – they will get on with it. These players are seasoned internationals. Anfield is always a hostile atmosphere, not overly because of what has happened. This issue has been hanging over us like the sword of Damocles over the last eight years. Their fans will be singing songs and chanting things but that doesn’t bother us. We have faced it before when going to Anfield.”