Although a decision isn’t expected for a while yet, if Man City are found guilty of any or all of the 115 charges that have been made against them, it would change the face of the Premier League as we know it.
There’s unlikely to be too much shock from football watchers, though it would still be a seismic event that will reverberate and be heard around the world.
Indeed, former super agent and one of the co-creators of the Premier League, Jon Smith, believes the very fabric of the English top-flight could be in play.
Future of the Premier League tied to Man City decision
“The things that are going to affect the game moving forward is the outcome of what happens in the Premier League case against Manchester City, and how the finances are managed when multinational and national countries are part of the ownerships,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“I think that will dictate the immediate financial framework of our game.”
Smith isn’t just speculating on what could happen in the future, given his immense and forensic understanding of how the game works, particularly in the Premier League he helped to create back in 1992.
It’s clear that any decision is going to be difficult to arrive at, and whether armchair supporters or otherwise like it or not, that’s why the ongoing case needs to be allowed as much time as is needed for all of the arguments to be heard and the legal and financial ramifications understood.
The idea of Man City losing their titles and more is really a moot point when one considers the impact of the decision on the immediate, short and long-term future of the English game.
To say that the decision will be ‘era defining’ isn’t trying to sensationalise it by any means either, because it’s expected to be seismic for the game as a whole.
Top photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
