Of course the public will have to be satisfied, our media is dominated by football talk and football fans. If people see this as unjust online spaces, talksport, papers will all be buzzing with it and whoever is in government will be feeling the heat.
I think this leans a bit too heavily on speculation. I could believe that there are accounting mistakes/backhanders to agents/nepotism etc. but anything in the same league as what city are accused of? Don't see it mate. Plus we are already seeing heavy punishments handed out to clubs for smaller violations and who are co-operating.
For me at least it was a league without relegation or true competition and undermining the national game where a club from the very bottom is linked to a club at the very top.
If they prove cheating then what 10(?) years of Premier League competition is nullable, pretty seismic if you ask me. If it is proven that city have cheated (I think it's obvious even at this stage) and there is no "just" punishment, I would stop watching and I don't think I'm a unicorn. If you had to ask football fans around the world what the English fan cares about I think they would say "fair play", the obsession with stamping out diving, hard tackles, time wasting etc. As a nation we value it, although it seems that it has been eroded a bit I still think it's there.
The failure of the fit and proper person's test is what has led to this. As I've stated before I think it's easy to be cynical and think the whole thing is corrupt but if you step back and examine the interests of those involved I think there is a good chance we see the end of this version of city. It obviously comes down to what can be proven and what is made public, evidence has already been out there for posters to look at for years which makes it obvious city are guilty of fraud.
As United fans we have been shafted ever since the gimps took control so I know it's hard to be optimistic, but for once I think the circumstances have coalesced to where there isn't really an easy way out for city, the governing bodies or the government.
As a by the by I think FFP is anti-competition and stupid. I would much rather a stringent fit and proper person's test which made sure you were actually a person and not a country.
I think people continue to underestimate the fact that the Premier League is a product that generates insane amounts of money, both directly and indirectly. I don't think the value it has for the UK can be understated. Sporting integrity isn't really the most important factor here...
An important factor i feel is being overlooked, is that going into projects like this, Manchester City, Newcastle, where they also invest heavily in the city (for bargain prices), gives them a lot of leeway with local politicians, that power also stretches into the highest level. Imo, this by far outweighs any PR related to their club performing well and winning trophies, what they create is a local dependency where they hold power.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...ouncil-abu-dhabi-sheikh-mansour-b2128273.html and
https://theathletic.com/4932881/2023/10/06/newcastle-saudi-city-reubens/
We already know that the UK government got involved to make sure the Saudis could complete the Newcastle takeover, and we already know that the government is concerned about the outcome of the case against Manchester City, to the point where they've held meetings with the owners. It's hardly unimaginable that local politicians in Manchester are actively working to limit any punishment so that it has no real consequence.
Not sure how anyone can convince themselves that the UK government isn't heavily involved in trying to limit any potential punishments that could have a negative effect on other investments in the country. It's not as if we'll have a situation ala when China went mental against Norway for giving the Nobel peace price to a Chinese dissident, but it doesn't really take much for Abu Dhabi, or Saudi for that matter, to make changes that has negative impact on individuals in a world where it's rather easy to pay someone under the table.
Also, lets not forget that in the publics eye this isn't a clear cut case. It's easy to spin a story about how they cleared the UEFA case, so it's not as if a favourable outcome for Manchester City can't be spun in a direction where the vast majority isn't going to give a shit. There might be noise, but just as the noise surrounding the Saudi takeover of Newcastle got drowned out it's not going to last long.
For me, i reckon the outcome of the case against Manchester City is going to determine if i keep following football or not. Then again, i am one of very few that feels that way, just as i wouldn't have bothered to follow Manchester United if we'd been bought up ala Newcastle and Manchester City. The vast majority isn't going to give a feck anyway.