City’s Tussle with Time and Tacticians…
In a plot thicker than gravy at a teatime match, Manchester City’s alleged financial antics have them in a pickle the size of a Tyrannosaurus’s shoe. With over 130 whopper charges from 2009 to 2018 sticking to their football boots, the Premier League is stretching out its decision like a goalkeeper badly misjudging a penalty. The reason? Legal eagles are apparently racking up time like they’re collecting stickers for a Panini album. Man City are staunchly denying all charges, attending 90-minute hearings from September to December 2024. In short: it’s a match extended beyond extra time.
Meanwhile, fans and ex-players are becoming as jittery as a squirrel on caffeine. The wait for the verdict is so long, it’s said even Pep Guardiola has built a sundial to keep track. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and Manchester United’s midfield wizard Paul Scholes were so perplexed they cornered Kieran Maguire, kingpin of football finance, for any spicy breadcrumbs of news. But alas, Kieran was as uncertain as a referee during a VAR check, pondering if the result will land like a pigeon on a window ledge: suddenly and unexpectedly!
Adding to the circus, our mate Maguire predicted that if City get a points deduction, it might be big enough to make a skyscraper look short. They’re talking about a potential 40-50-point whopper, which if slapped on after the season, could be like serving jam after your toast has long been gobbled. Teams like Leicester or Ipswich might end up singing the blues more than they imagined. Maguire reckons fines are as effective as trying to dribble past a wall, and if the charges hold, City might need a calculator to figure out what league they’ll tumble into. It’s a soap opera that’s got all the drama, and not much mamacita, but plenty of points… or lack thereof!
