Talk Sport argues that ManC should not be punished for financial crimes

 

• Competitive League football comes to an end

By Tony Attwood

Of course, it would be nicer for us if Arsenal were to be more points ahead, but as ever we support the club and encourage them all we can.   On the downside, it looks like we might well have lost Havertz and Eze again for the Champions League game away to Atletico Madrid, but that is not until Wednesday, so we can hope for the best.

Yesterday (25th  April) in La Liga the result was Atletico Madrid 3 , Athletic Club 2, which was interesting as it was their first win after three defeats and a draw.    They are currently fourth in their league a whopping great 25 points behind Barcelona who are top.   As they always are except when Real Madrid are.

Last Wednesday, Atletico lost 3-2 in the league to Elche, while prior to that they lost on penalties in the Copa del Rey final 4-3, after a 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad.

Before that, in the Champions League, they lost 1-2 at home to Barcelona, although going through 3-2 on aggregate.   

Yesterday of course, was not easy for Arsenal, but we got there, and although Manchester City remain horribly close.  But on the positive side, it looks like we will have Saka and Calafiori available for the Champions League game this week.  So we are now one point and five goals behind last season’s final total number of points.  But still a long way short of where we got to in 2024.

And of course, we did not win the league in 2024, because if you recall, that was the season Manchester City got 91 points, and Arsenal came in second on 89.    This season, the maximum number of points that can be gained is 85, although we might note that last season, for example, Liverpool won the league with 84 points, which Arsenal could beat this season and indeed did beat in 2024, but did not win the league.

Last season Liverpool won by 10 points, in 2024 Manchester City won by two points, in 2023 it was five points, in 2022 it was one point.   Clearly, it varies year by year, but much of the time, the issue is a fight between a couple of clubs at the top.

But against all this, we have to keep on saying, because it is still there and not many other people like to mention it, Manchester City have been found guilty of many, many more breaches of the League’s rules than any club has ever suffered before.   And the great scandal is that although we have known that since it happened.

Yet at this moment, we have a greater scandal still of Talk Sport’s chief football writer arguing that they (and I quote exactly) “should have their 130 charges for breaking financial rules dropped: there are worse crimes in football.”

His argument is rather confused and seemed as he said it, to waver from subject to subject, but in essence it appears to come down to the notion that, “City were miles behind other clubs when they were taken over, so they had to rapidly play catch-up. It’s funny how the reaction changes from club to club when this thing happens.

“So Wrexham, for example. When the owners of Wrexham came in and injected abnormal amounts of money into a non-league club, where there were no rules down there by the way, they’re seen as cool and heroic, and it’s a great story, and there’s a Hollywood blockbuster ending.”

Thus the chief football commentator (I think they call him an anchor, and from my perspective that is right as he seems to habve the same depth of knowledge as the average anchor) says that because the owners of Wrexham put money into that club when they were non-league where there were no regulations restricting investment, Manchester City should have as much money as they want, even though with them there were strict rules on investment.

Now Mr Durham is known as the “football anchor” of Talk Sport, which perhaps tells you something about that radio station.   But aside from that, consider our laws in general.  In the UK, when a crime is committed, justice considers the law that was broken, the nature of the crime, the size of the crime and the impact of the crime on others.  Among other things.  It is not so much a sadness that Mr Durham doesn’t grasp that fundamental and simple fact about justice in Britain, but rather that Talk Sport think he is a suitable person to have as their “anchor”.

We have laws and rules across our society and its institutions, and the idea is simple.   Everyone shold try to obey them.  If they don’t they risk punishment.   As a concept, it is not that complicated, although apparently for the “football anchor” of Talk Sport it is.