“When kings fall, they fall on top of us.”Â
Those are the words of one of my favorite writers, the Jamaican author Marlon James, as he poignantly says in his fantasy novel Black Leopard, Red Wolf.
There is something so delicate about an empire. Its longevity very much depends on not just the health of the institution but of the stakeholders who make the decisions.Â
And as we take a look around the world of global football, you cant find a truer phrase when discussing Manchester City, which has become one of the biggest talking points in sports right now. But plenty of other top clubs are making news, so let’s dive into what’s sticking out.Â
There is such a current alienated experience when discussing Manchester City because nothing that happens on the pitch for Enzo Marescas side will escape the gray cloud that hovers over the Etihad. I am, of course, talking about the verdict that was handed to them last month when an independent commission found Man City guilty of the vast majority of 115 charges for breaching the Premier Leagues financial rules. The most damning of them being the creation of “sham” contracts, which were hidden funds through their own ownership (Abu Dhabi United Group) thus inflating revenue by more than a billion dollars over the course of 10 years.Â
City basically invented external revenue and in the Premier League and European football, where the pyramid of club hierarchy is the core foundation of the game. When an owner does something like this and it doesnt get regulated, it becomes a slippery slope for everyone else. Teams will take advantage of its own expenditure against everyone else, who may not have the means of a state-owned club.Â
This is a devastating but just outcome for City, one the club is appealing, which means the people, the fans, both inside and outside of the club, will have to wait until the beginning of 2027 to hear the punishment. But a punishment must be given because this is a historic breach that has shaken the game.Â
And as I said, when the power crumbles, it is not the mighty who truly suffer, it is the community and until Man City deal with the consequences, Premier League fans of other clubs will treat them as villains, and rightly so. It will be the football equivalent of Cerseis shameful walk of atonement in Game of Thrones where we, the people, scream Shame! every time they touch the ball.Â
Thats what you saw last weekend as City, quite happily playing the role of a theater villain, won convincingly 3-0 at Liverpool. As City fans celebrated after the final whistle, Anfields DJ played Fleetwood Macs “Little Lies,” which was the perfect way to describe the current state of things in the Premier League.Â
But this week in the UEFA Champions League, back at their stadium, in front of Pep Guardiola who was sitting behind chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and CEO Ferran Soriano, City suffered a 4-2 loss to the mighty PSG (also state owned who has dealt with similar breaches with UEFA in the past) in a performance that quite literally shook them. Luis Enriques defending champions were incredible, especially in the first half and City simply couldnt escape the wrath of the French giants as the brilliant Desire Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha scored in the space of 19 minutes.Â
City improved in the second half thanks to striker Erling Haalands brace, thus becoming the clubs highest goalscorer in the competition with 60 goals in 60 career appearances. No player has ever done that at such an age and at that pace.Â
But in the end, it was the defending champion PSG who outclassed its opponent.
So whats next? City host Ipswich Town this Saturday in what should be a better result (though the newly promoted side is showing some fight and currently in 10th place) but the gray cloud will cont
