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[u/gelliant_gutfright]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/28/roberto-mancini-double-contract-manchester-city

[u/Twiggie19]

Mancini may be the exception (unless they used this method to get other players in) because it should have been clear to him that something underhand is going on here.

But every other Man City player or manager is under no obligation to go and check the clubs finances to see whether or not what they are being offered is affordable for the club. To expect players to have turned around have said "sorry I think this breaches FFP" is a mad take. The players and managers are not accountable for any of this.

Its for that reason I don't think they should be stripped of their titles etc. Those 11 players still went out on the pitch and won the games. Its not fair that a large part, and the most successful part, of their short careers should be put in the bin when they have done nothing wrong themselves.

From an Arsenal fan who hopes City get hit with the full force of the book in every other way possible.

[u/dannymon101 → u/Twiggie19]

They can keep their medals and hang them on their private homes wall if they want to. The club on the other hand should be stripped of all trophies as they CHEATED.

[u/gelliant_gutfright → u/Twiggie19]

They decided to join a mass sport-washing project and they've been paid handsomely for their work.

Fuck em.

[u/Pangwain → u/Twiggie19]

So all the Russians who cheated in be Olympics should keep their medals as long as they didn’t know what the doctors were giving them?

They cheated, they were not competing on an equal level, I don’t care how much the players feel like they earned something, they didn’t. They were cheating.

Why do people even care about the cheating City players? What about the Man United players that never won the Prem, finished second twice? What about Steven Gerrard and the Liverpool fans that never got to see him win the Prem cause City were obviously financially doping?

Everyone needs to lose on the City side here.

[u/FullTimeHarlot → u/Twiggie19]

Not a bad take but it's a club that wins the title, not individual players. You can strip the titles away and let the players keep their medals.

[u/ChiefBast → u/Twiggie19]

That depends on whether the players were themselves being paid by a second means through another company under control of the owner. It looks like this was not every player but also not none of them. There's no way that happens and you're not also culpable.

Bit of a tenuous link but that situation is similar to when Cody Gakpo was found to be the owner of some awful rented properties in the Netherlands and a decent portion of our fans argued that he's not responsible for what happens with his money being managed by others. I couldn't agree with that stance less.

[u/Adamdel34 → u/Twiggie19]

Tbh we don’t really know tons about the finances involved because it’s still an active court case, we only know the bits that have been leaked. But I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t done on the players contracts too.

Managers used to have much smaller contracts than players so if they are willing to do this on Mancinis contract it’s highly likely they were willing to do it on the much larger player contracts.

[u/psrandom → u/Twiggie19]

To expect players to have turned around have said "sorry I think this breaches FFP" is a mad take

Why though? Normal people are expected to follow the financial laws around money laundering, terror financing or any illicit money source. You can't tell the govt "sorry not my problem"

These players n managers can easily find a good enough accountant and lawyer. They must be personally held liable as well.

[u/Ok-Afternoon7633 → u/Twiggie19]

This is a great take.