Journalist Mark Ogden has claimed that Premier League clubs may not want to speak out against Manchester City following the charges made towards the club over breaches of financial rules.
What’s the word?
Man City were hit with charges of improper financial conduct dating back over 10 years ago by the Premier League earlier this week, and there has been talk that an eventual punishment could go as far as a points deduction or even relegation.
City have won six Premier League titles since they were taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, and have spent over £1bn on transfers since.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Ogden revealed that the attitude of City’s Premier League rivals is hesitant towards them for now as they wait to see what happens next.
He said: “From people I’ve been speaking to at clubs, the big clubs certainly, don’t want to say anything.
“They don’t want to be seen as victimising City or ganging up on City. Their view is the less that they say, the better, because there’s nothing they can do now.
“It’s the Premier League, an independent inquiry, they cannot get involved, they can’t influence it. So they’re quite happy for Man City to basically find a way to defend themselves because there’s nothing they can say or do.
“I think by talking about or briefing about it, it almost makes City’s case stronger in a sense that they can say, ‘look, everybody’s ganging up on us, everybody wants us out’.
“There’s almost like this omerta of silence amongst the bigger clubs that they just want to let the Premier League get on with it.”
Would clubs want a harsh punishment?
Whilst relegating City from the Premier League could damage the overall brand of the competition, it would not be a huge surprise if, further down the line, other clubs in the league support harsh punishments.
City’s financial wrongdoings, if found guilty, saw them beat competitors to major trophies, which included marginal title wins ahead of Liverpool, as well as using their financial muscle to take some of the best talent from the rest of the league.
If they are proven to have acted improperly and are set to be punished, their rivals at the top, as well as teams near the bottom, may then call for the league to set a precedent about financial conduct.
But we understand Ogden’s claim about the clubs’ supposed stance, as there is plenty of apparent evidence against the current champions that actively seeking a heavy punishment in spite of this could end up being counter-productive.
There is little doubt that City being expelled from the top flight would be of benefit to the other Premier League clubs – particularly the big guns – but being seen to influence matters could easily throw this scandal into even murkier waters.