Guardian Column: Manchester City Must Either Prove Their Innocence or Face Condemnation – There Can Be No Perfect Outcome

On September 24, the British media outlet The Guardian published a column by Sean Ingle, which discussed the 115 charges against Manchester City by the Premier League. The author believes that “there can be no perfect outcome in this matter; Manchester City must either prove their innocence or face continued condemnation.”

The article points out that Manchester City has also faced serious charges in individual seasons, such as the 2017-18 season when they were accused of violating PSR rules, although they won the championship that season.

Additionally, the report states that the final verdict will be announced next year. The author Ingle interviewed a prominent lawyer last week who said, “This suggests that establishing a global independent football financial institution, similar to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), might not be a bad idea. Before WADA was established, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had to compensate 100m star Katrin Krabbe for lost earnings despite her failing a clenbuterol drug test. However, she won the case because the German Athletics Federation’s rulebook did not list the substance as banned at the time.”

Finally, the author directly states, “Whether Manchester City is punished or not, this debate will have to wait. Meanwhile, let us resist the use of fines as punishment in these charges, which is clearly an attempt to satisfy all parties. In my view, Manchester City must either be exonerated or continue to face condemnation.”