I have never been one to mince my words, so I am not going to start now. I fucking hate cheats and cheating. I consider myself to be a bit of a sports purist. It should always be mano a mano, team vs. team and may the best man or team win. That is why when a team like Manchester City, who already hold a significant advantage due to the wealth of their owners, underhandedly try to gain a further advantage, it makes my blood boil.

Football aside, this type of behaviour seems to be an inherent part of the human make up. We see, liars, thieves and cheats all over the world attached to various facets of life. Sports, politics, work, neighborhood, school and even within religion. There are examples of this behaviour type everywhere and to me it is this which holds us back from being so much more of a better species.

Why is it that humanity continues to act in this way? It’s a really thought provoking question which I have contemplated for many years. Ultimately, the only answer that I can put forward which to me makes any sense, is that we allow it. There are no significant deterrents, the kind of which would force someone or something to be struck by the realisation that they can ill afford to ever act this way again. Especially in sport, no wait a second, especially in football, these deterrents just do not exist.

Now, let us get back to Manchester City. Sorry if there are any City fans who will ultimately read this, but I can’t stand what your club represents. I find it disgusting. For a wealthy owner to pop up, buy the club, and just continue to invest billions of pounds, without thought or hesitation, all in the name of glory, it just negates what sport should really be about.

At this juncture, you may ask what is it that I mean when state “what sport should really be about”? That is easy for me to answer. Success in sport should be based solely upon three main factors. ABILITY, HARD WORK and a PROFESSIONAL STRATEGY which adheres to the laws of the sport in which you find yourself fortunate to compete in. Simple as that. That is what sport should be about. The results should be that the most talented, the hardest worker and the person with the best overall strategy should stand tall as a champion or champions. Able to outperform and outwit their opponents.

Seeking to gain an advantage is a pathetic move made by desperate and weak souls unable to come to terms with their own limitations. Or, alternatively the move of the excessively greedy and morally inept subhumans who should be put out of their misery. Or at the very least made to cower down in the knowledge that they have been classified subhuman in front of the world, with only a future that adds value to society perhaps able to redeem their reputation and soul.

Ok, I got sidetracked again. Back to Manchester City once more. This current debacle is not their first offence. The first accusations, dating back earlier than 2014, centre upon the club’s alleged attempts to circumvent financial fair play regulations via disguised cash injections from their Abu Dhabi owners, as well as suggestions that City misled authorities in statements provided to resolve an earlier case. It was only in 2014 that the club were fined by UEFA over a previous rule breach, which saw them accept some restrictions on their transfer activity and a £49 million fine. In fact, City never paid the full fine, coughing up some measly £17 million in prize money some three years later. STRIKE ONE.

City saw themselves in trouble once more when in early 2019 the club was fined £310,000 for a breach of regulations regarding the recruitment of minors. At which time the club “accepted responsibility for the breaches”. City were obviously relieved not to receive the same sanction as Chelsea,who were unable to sign any players in the summer after breaching the very same rules. Instead, City had to pay the “parking ticket” fine and were free to make fresh recruits in the winter window. STRIKE TWO.

And finally, as I am sure you are all aware by now, the latest crime of which a guilty verdict was handed down in a decision announced Friday, by an independent financial control body of UEFA. Which found that Manchester City had been guilty of multiple violations related to club licensing and so-called financial fair play rules — cost controls put in place by UEFA to try to mitigate the growing gap between rich clubs and poor ones in European leagues, and to tackle a growing debt crisis. The club, which also was criticized for failing to cooperate with UEFA’s investigators, also was fined 30 million euros. STRIKE MOTHER FUCKING THREE.

If it were for me, the heaviest sanctions should be thrown down upon the very first “strike” against the laws of the game. Sure, I can live with a warning and second chance being given for a first offence. What I cannot accept however is a repeat offender just thinking they can get away with whatever they want. It seems finally in this case, finally, a semi appropriate punishment has been handed down.

So the question now beggars, have Man City now been punished enough? In my opinion absolutely not. They two year European ban for the club is a good start. The fine, €30 million is meaningless. One mid level transfer fee. Hardly going to bother them. But, I commend UEFA, usually known for having a rather soft constitution, for taking somewhat dramatic action. But this cannot end here. A repeat offender such as Manchester City must be taught a lesson for the ages.

With that spirit in mind, this should be their punishment now handed down by the governing body in England. First they should immediately be sent down to League 2, the lowest league in the professional game in England and made to fight their way back up. They should be stripped of any titles won during the period of infraction and they should be slammed with a £100 million fine. You may see it as harsh, I do not. They have regularly laughed in the faces of authority, choosing to cut corners and play dirty games with every chance they get, to try and gain an advantage.

A marker needs to be set, an example made. This behaviour can no longer be tolerated.

I am in no way trying to say that City is the only club to to have ever acted in such a way. I am sure there are others. Chelsea, PSG, Juventus and even QPR have come a foul of the law in the recent past. It is something that still happens in the game. But I truly wish that it wouldn’t and I support any means necessary to weed this disgusting behaviour out of the game that I love. No matter which club it is, my own included. Any club found cheating needs to be punched with the iron fist.

Finally, I would like to say a quick word to all Man City fans. I feel for you. This is not your fault, yet ultimately it will be you who suffer the most. You entrusted the club you love to people who you hoped would respect it and love it as you do. However, unfortunately that has not been the case. They have used your club as a vessel for power and glory and in doing so dragged it into the pits of hell. You will not like what I have written above surely, however the football fan within you I hope will identify the truth in it.

Just think if the shoe was on the other foot. Say, Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester United had been charged with the same offences? What would you be saying in that case? In conclusion, I fear my words above will be taken negatively and some will react not with debate, but with anger and abuse such is the football culture. So be it. I hope it would not be the case, but I fear it may. And, a sad reality of the world will likely unveil itself. Manchester City will appeal, the sentence will be lowered or removed completely and business will go on as usual. They would have basically gotten away with it… AGAIN.