Wednesday 05 May 2021
ManCity and the gracious judges
The finalist that shouldn’t exist
By Tobias Nordmann
Manchester City have never been in the Champions League final. The billion-dollar ensemble has finally eradicated this flaw. Absolutely deserved in football, but the shadow of unpunished violations of financial fair play remains.
For coach Josep Guardiola, the matter is of course completely clear. His team, those from Manchester City, deservedly make it into the final of the Champions League, he confessed after the successful semi-final against Paris St. Germain (2-0) on Tuesday evening. “This success was also due to what we have done over the past four years.” After a series of running passes in the quarter-finals, this year, on May 29 in Istanbul, it will finally be about the most important trophy in European club football.
For the first time the “Skyblues” reach for the handle pot. And the Catalan coach can satisfy a long longing, after all, he had to wait ten years before he can play for the crown in Europe again. At that time he triumphed with the legendary FC Barcelona team around Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi against City rivals Manchester United, of all places. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s against Real Madrid or Chelsea FC on May 29 in Istanbul (9 p.m. in the live ticker at ntv.de), Man City will be the favorite. Guardiola beckons the third premier class triumph as a coach (both with FC Barcelona), as a player he had won the European Cup once. With Barça too, of course.
As completely clear as the matter is for the Catalan – and of course for all those people who look soberly at the astonishing dominance and power of the footballers from Manchester – Manchester City’s entry into the final is just as undeserved for all those who are responsible for Fight justice in professional football. For all those who believe in justice. Because actually the club should have taken part in this competition this season (and not the next). This is what UEFA decided on February 14th last year.
“Serious violations” of the FFP
The association announced at the time that the association had committed “serious violations” of the financial fair play regulations. Manchester City overestimated income from sponsors between 2012 and 2016 and thus provided incorrect information to the European association. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the club owner, is said to have made up deficits of several million euros from his private assets. That is perfectly allowed, but only to a very limited extent.
The club reacted angrily and aggressively to the judgment at the time. The case was initiated, legally prosecuted and judged by UEFA, criticized Man City. After this “prejudicial process”, the case went to the International Court of Justice (CAS) at the request of the club. And he finally overturned the judgment. The ban on Europe – void. The evidence is inadequate or the acts are statute-barred, the Cas justified his judgment. The echo of the sports world: incomprehensible, the concept of financial fair play failed.
Now the matter is perfectly clear. From a legal point of view, Manchester City are completely legally involved in the current round. The team, which has a total squad value of 1.03 billion euros (!), Deserves recognition for its impressive style of play – including in three out of four halves in the semifinals against Paris St. Germain – but not love. And if she wins the pot, then the players will be happy. And the trainer. And maybe some of them will be happy for the internationally popular trainer. More theatrical applause than festival escalation. A victory bought. At the transfer market. And on the balance sheet. Nice (no!) New world of football. A little insight into what would have happened with the Super League.
In fact, City was one of the twelve founding members of the (for the time being) crackedly failed elite league of the super-rich. But unlike, for example, with city rivals United or Liverpool FC, there were hardly any protests from the fans (there they were violent and angry) against the club’s planned participation in the project that would have changed European football lastingly? But why actually? Because the success is there? And because modern football isn’t about anything else? Even if you are tricked hard at crucial points?
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