Claret and Hugh’s article yesterday concerning the possible outcomes of the Manchester City charges and appeals process has sparked a variety of comment.
With a three week break in Championship football allowing for all sorts of extra topics to be debated – and of course the release of the tribunal findings timed to coincide with no domestic games- West Ham fans have not been slow to voice their own opinions on punishments that should be meted out should the original verdicts be upheld once the ongoing appeals process is completed.
A balanced view from John Lattimore: “There’s no way historical results will be affected, it would be far too complicated. Let’s just hope that Manchester City get a realistic and appropriate punishment and forget about any effect on West Ham or other teams’
C and H reader ‘Morty’: “If the appeal fails, then the first action should be to ban their current owners from owning or having shares in any English or Welsh club. I don’t think posthumously awarding their trophies to the runners up is right, instead I think there should be no winners in those instances, much like the UCI did with Lance Armstrong’s 7 Tour de France wins”.
Reader Steve F: “Chatting to a Villa supporter earlier we agreed that a 46 point deduction each season for the next 10 years might be a satisfactory penalty. City could still qualify for Europe via one of the cups, but they’re gonna have to play exceedingly well each season do not to get relegated.”
Reader Taffy Hammer: “Think the Premier League should be ashamed of themselves for not identifying Manchester City owners as not being fit and proper people. The Manchester City owners should be made to take their money and run away from the game if they are still found to be the cheats as labelled after all appeals.”
My own opinion? Repeat the penalty imposed on Rangers back in 2012 and demote Manchester City to the lowest division within English football. Oh and give them a fifty point deduction and a five year transfer ban too. Simply dropping them into the Championship for a season would not fit the crime they’ve committed of tainting results in the Premier League for the last 20 years.
And it’d seem pretty harsh on those Championship clubs struggling to make their own way up the greasy pole into the top tier to have the biggest cheaters in world football in their league.
The actions of Manchester City owners are shocking. The UK government needs to be on the right side of history and not bend to political pressure from the UAE. The owners should be banned from the UK, City should be ejected from the EPL and rejected by the EFL.
thing is with these people who are in charge a fine no matter how much is going to bother them to much.
i think you are right that they should be dropped to the lowest league we have as it will take them what 4/5 years to get back to the premier. historic results are what they are and nothing really can be done in that respect.
but yes dropped to lowest league should be the main principle for any other owners and also not be allowed to sell until those 4 or 5 years are up.
this isnt the fans or the players but a line has to be drawn regardless. this is what should happen to any team/club that breaks the rules.