How the Manchester City scandal could play out | Letters
Readers respond to the guilty verdict against the football club for breaking the Premier League’s financial fair play rules
Thirty six years ago, the team I support, Swindon Town, were severely punished for financial irregularities that pale into comparison with those of Manchester City (Manchester City found guilty of breaking Premier League’s financial fair play rules, 25 September). We were initially sentenced to be relegated two divisions but, after appeal, refused entry to Division One. It was an incredibly painful experience for us as fans and I feel for those City fans who have enjoyed the last years so fully, but now see it tainted through no fault of theirs.
At the time, a number of journalists made the case that, as off-field crimes had resulted in on-field success, the punishment was fitting. What is different this time is the scale of the offences and the amount of on-field success. Once the appeal process has concluded, and if Manchester City still face punishment, a proportionate scaling up of consequences from those that we experienced in 1990 could mean that club facing relegation and removal of titles.
