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

[FinalWhistle]

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?

 

[es1]

oh joy

don't really see how it affects refs mind, unless you think their decisions will be swayed?

 

[Kes]

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.

 

[Tealeaf]

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.

 

[Kent Ref]

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.

 

[Big Cat]

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