Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has admitted that it is beneficial for Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United for the Citizens to "look bad" amidst the 115 financial charges against them.
Pep Guardiola's side have made a strong start to the defence of their top-flight title this season, but it is their off-field performances that are set to be examined further, as the Premier League's long-awaited hearing into Man City's alleged charges begins this week.
Nineteen months ago, Citizens supporters were rocked by the news that their club had been charged by the Premier League for alleged financial irregularity between 2009 and 2018 following a four-year investigation - charges the club have emphatically denied.
Man City, who won three Premier League titles during this period, are alleged to have failed to provide accurate financial information relating to sponsorship income, revenue and operating costs and have also been accused of offering a secret contract to one of their managers during this period who was receiving more money than officially stated.
The Citizens have also been accused by the Premier League of failing to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules during a five-year period and are said to have not fully co-operated with the Premier League's investigation.
Dubbed by some as 'the sport's trial of the century', Man City's hearing is expected to run for around 10 weeks, with a final verdict expected at some stage in early 2025.
Man City's hearing an "incredibly important moment" in their history
McInerney has acknowledged the magnitude of this "incredibly important moment" in Man City's history and feels that it has been at the forefront of City fans' minds for some time.
Speaking exclusively to Sports Mole, McInerney said: "There's no way this won't be headline news for an awful long time when the verdict comes out, so I can't deny that impact. Ultimately, I am just a Manchester City fan. I'm not a lawyer, I find the ideas of spreadsheets in football incredibly tedious.
"I can't deny that [the 115 charges] follow Manchester City around. It's something as City fans we've had to front up about. It's really strange because, ultimately, this is to do with money men behind the scenes that none of us know the names of - accountants essentially.
"The way football is going these days, there's so much transparency, there's so many battles, not just on the pitch. We're so aware of it via various forms of media that it's hard to ignore, especially in the era of PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules).
"It is very much at the forefront of Manchester City fans' minds - myself included. I don't want it to be, I genuinely want to just enjoy football for what it is, but we can't deny that this is an incredibly important moment in the history of Manchester City Football Club, it absolutely is."
McInerney is "genuinely relaxed" about the hearing and is adamant that the final verdict will have no impact on his support for boyhood club Man City.
"It's going to be fascinating to see how this plays out. I'm genuinely relaxed as a Man City fan," McInerney added. "My feelings towards Man City do no change depending on the outcome of this result. As long as Manchester City exists and plays football, I will be there. I will be watching my team because that is what I'm there for.
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McInerney "relaxed" despite charges against Man City
"I'm not here for their success, I'm not here for the money that currently follows the club around. I'm here because I've been a Manchester City fan all my life and nothing will change that, whether we're playing Wrexham in League One or playing against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
"I understand the severity of it all and I understand why there is so much focus, but I think it gets lost a little bit, from my perspective, that we're football fans ultimately, and we're here for that and not the other side of it."
In June, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak demanded for the club to be "judged by the facts and not by claims and counterclaims", while manager Pep Guardiola has previously stated that he is "fully convinced" that Man City are "innocent".
Guardiola and co have been left frustrated by the way City that have been treated by some media outlets, rivals clubs and even La Liga president Javier Tebas, who recently claimed he has spoken with many Premier League clubs and said that "most of them understand that City should be sanctioned".
"From a Man City fans' perspective, a lot of people presume that we're just defending our club for the sake of it because we're City fans, but I can only take the words of Guardiola, what the players have been told, and the CEO, and can only take it at face value until otherwise," said McInerney.
"If it comes out that they were wrong then fair play. As a fan I'd accept it. Guardiola has been very passionate about it. He made a very memorable quote, more or less a day or two after the charges were announced, and he said: 'Julius Caesar said in this world there are no enemies or friends, there are just interests', and he's not wrong to say that."
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'Man City's existence is a threat to other sides'
McInerney continues: "Ultimately, I do think that Manchester City's very existence is a threat to the financial security and success of other sides. It's undeniably true.
"...City have spent their money well. They've hired the best but they've done the best at the same time. You've only got to look at Man United or Chelsea to see what billions of pounds can get you. It can get you absolutely nowhere if you don't know what you're doing with it.
"I think it's really naive from fans of other sides to deny the fact that there's probably pressure and lobbying going on - of course there is. City have come in and flooded the market with a lot of money and they did spend an awful lot. It has slowed down in the past five, six, seven years, it absolutely has. City's net spend is the lowest in the past five years of any Premier League side. That's an actual fact.
"But, I do feel there is a side to it that people aren't really considering that it is beneficial for everyone. For Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United for City to be made to look bad, to be investigated... It's beyond reason to consider that there is another angle to this that City are possibly being singled out.
"People will say that 'you're a City fan, you're being defensive', but there are always two sides to this, and Guardiola is right, there are interests and City's rise does threaten the stability or success of other clubs.
"As a City fan, it's hard not to roll eyes when you've seen pictures of meetings of board members of United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal sat around having a meal in London. You're thinking, there's no City representative there. It feels a bit conspiracy theories territory.
"Football is so petty and it's so childish, and you've only got to look at all the stuff that goes around, allegedly, about FIFA, UEFA representatives with big events and tournaments to know that money changes hands, money moves things and people talk. We're not stupid.
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Rivals clubs would benefit if Man City "disappear"
"My view of football is that everyone is out to get everyone all the time, and things happen constantly. So this is why, as a football fan, I just try and step back a little bit and just enjoy the football."
McInerney admits that he 'sometimes feels frustrated' that some people ignore the benefits that could be presented to rival clubs if Man City were to "disappear" if proven guilty.
"I do feel that one side of it has been very heavily portrayed in the media for very obvious reasons," said McInerney. "I do sometimes feel frustrated as a City fan, because people are very willing to ignore that it's very beneficial for everyone else if City suddenly just disappear or don't have the money.
"That's not to say City might not deserve that. They might do, but I think it's worth considering that other side potentially. Time will tell... if City are playing in League One in a few years' time... we were doing that when I was a kid. It didn't scare me then, and it wouldn't scare me now."
It has been rumoured that should Man City be proven guilty, they could face significant punishments such as heavy fines, points deductions or even Premier League expulsion.
The Citizens, who last played outside the top flight back in 2002, are currently preparing for their first Champions League fixture of the newly-expanded 36-team tournament at home to Inter Milan on Wednesday, before taking on Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.
Oliver Thomas
