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Man City scandal: will it make reffing the upcoming Liverpool v City game harder?

F

FinalWhistle

Armchair Referee
Anyone living under a rock won't have heard that today Man City were formally convicted of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. This will affect every aspect of the game, so I reckon reffing too. The upcoming Liverpool v City game especially since refs and VARs have a tough enough time of it anyway to get decisions right and be seen to get them right, but with all this scandal going on, I'll bet the scrutiny and pressure will be turned up to 11. The players, managers, fans and pundits are all going to be looking at every decision in minute detail and be ready to criticise, especially where it appears to give City an advantage. I reckon this heat will continue for every City game for the rest of the season, too.

What do you think?
 
The Ref Stop
I don't think it'll make a blind bit of difference. Except maybe the number of boos heard any time a Citeh player touches the ball. I'd expect that particular aspect to become a feature of any Man City away match for the remainder of this season.
 
To a degree possibly, but I don’t think the suggestion of “giving City an advantage” is the right way to look at it. It’s not the Calciopoli scenario. This concerns illegal payments within the club. Swindon were busted for this sort of thing (different scale) in the late 1990s but still recovered and reached the Premier League.

Any impact on refereeing the game will come from team behaviour. Boos getting players backs up, anger and aggression potentially spilling over and more reckless play a possibility.

Refereeing tolerance levels will need to adjust to meet this, and some empathy for the game. Keep it under control and all goes fine. Do what needs to be done. That’s it, a normally competitive game might have an additional level of tension. Like all of us, Pro Ref guys referee what’s in front of them.
 
How will they ever find a suitable punishment?

This is at such a large scale i just don't know what would reflect a fair outcome?

Any fine would be pointless.
 
Game is gone
As I've said before, Mr McMahon is all that's missing

Although I have found it interesting listening to Jordan, Borson & Maguire on the various airwaves

It will take a generation for City to restore any repute. An absolutely colossal fine, entirely redistributed throughout the pyramid. That's the only way some good could come out of this saga. That's not a punishment for their owners, so their their trophies need to go in the bin. I can't see any point in the temporary relegation option

I wouldn't get into a debate with any City fans over it. There're no winners, unless the game is somehow compensated right the way down to grass roots. Which won't happen of course. Money has an indelible ability to spoil stuff
 
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FinalWhistle said:
Anyone living under a rock won't have heard that today Man City were formally convicted of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. This will affect every aspect of the game, so I reckon reffing too. The upcoming Liverpool v City game especially since refs and VARs have a tough enough time of it anyway to get decisions right and be seen to get them right, but with all this scandal going on, I'll bet the scrutiny and pressure will be turned up to 11. The players, managers, fans and pundits are all going to be looking at every decision in minute detail and be ready to criticise, especially where it appears to give City an advantage. I reckon this heat will continue for every City game for the rest of the season, too.

What do you think?
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I personally think it will have little to no effect. A club's guilt in relation to financial offences has virtually nothing to do with how a game is refereed.

I also don't see as to where people will be looking at refereeing decisions in the light of financial irregularities, even ones as extensive as these.
 
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So, people generally think it won't have much effect. In the end, this is all speculation, including myself, for an unprecedented situation, so we'll just have to wait until the 11th to know for sure, not that long now.

I reckon there's gonna be some choice commentary though. I'm sure I'll enjoy that. 🙂
 
Couple more thoughts on this saga today
Rumblings that damming stuff to do with PSG and Infantino to come out soon. I think football will likely continue nose diving before any signs of arresting the descent
Also, some big hitters getting involved in the City thing. Politicians and Etihad's Lawyers. I'm not sure football's governance will determine where this all ends up with International relations at stake and general enormity beyond comprehension. It's all very staggering stuff

City's fans will take unimaginable stick for all this and hostility towards that club will get out of hand. But deep down, it's shockingly unfair on them too. The sensible ones among them, they must be bewildered and distraught by what they've been duped into supporting over the years since the takeover. And let's not be naïve, we don't know the extent to which wrongdoing is rife elsewhere in the game, so whilst they're the ones who've thrown the baby out the bath water, it's the overall game and governance that's caved in to the grottiness and lure of sickening amounts of money and inappropriate club ownership (NUFC included in that)

Anyway, one bit of bright news, at least Spurs are pleased attention has been deflected. They can safely say 'they're bottom, purely on merit'!!
 
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