“Man City aren’t so much” – Man City watches in bewilderment as further accusations brought about by the FFP stir more resentment

Both Nottingham Forest and Everton have been accused of violating the regulations governing profitability and sustainability, which has sparked complaints about who the laws are intended to protect.

It is difficult to determine which of the two things that Manchester City supporters find more darkly humorous: the fact that other clubs are finally agreeing with them over Financial Fair Play, or the fact that they are accused of being one of the biggest benefactors of the cartel that they have been raging against.

The Premier League’s announcement on Monday that it will be charging Nottingham Forest and Everton for a violation of the Profit and Sustainability Rule was met with a resounding “cup of molten sick” from the fans of both of those clubs.

As they come to terms with the fact that they will be punished for their owners’ investments in their clubs and cities, many of them have begun to question whether the rules are actually there to prevent irresponsible spending or whether they are actually there to protect the status quo and prevent those who spent before the rules came into effect from being challenged.

Due to the fact that one’s day-to-day life is so hectic, it is very normal for someone to be unaware of something that does not have personal significance to them.

The same way that caring about how much a supermarket shop costs may easily take precedence over the predicament of Ukraine or Israel and Palestine, in the same manner, why should other clubs or their fans need to know who the top scorer at City is, never mind the specifics of the CAS ruling, when it makes no difference to them?

However, just as Liverpool and Arsenal have demonstrated this season by initiating discussions about video assistant referees (VAR) only when it has a negative impact on them, the fact that self-interest has taken precedence over common cause means that clubs are largely on their own to fight the charges. This is ironic, considering that the majority of clubs were the ones who agreed to these rules and the expedited processing of straightforward cases in the first place.

To what extent do those who are vehemently opposing the regulations that their club has imposed also believe that it is unfair to other people? In addition to Everton, does Burnham denounce the way in which City and Forest are being treated, or is it only Everton? What about the clubs that have remained true to the regulations despite not being a part of the big six sports leagues?

Because the explanation is so obvious and has been told so many times, anyone who doubts why Everton and Nottingham Forest are facing sanction before City is not worth listening to because the answer has been explained so many times. Commentary that is not helpful, partisan, and ignores the facts of the many diverse cases is what this represents.

City is not so much fighting multiple murder charges as they are saying that there is no victim. On the other hand, according to the Premier League, both Everton and Forest have accepted breaches, but they consider that their reasons for doing so are sufficient mitigation to escape heavy punishment.

Due to the fact that it is so much more complicated, City has not “gotten away with it,” but rather their day of reckoning is further away than originally anticipated. This new questioning of the aim of the financial control rules may have been welcomed by the club and its fans, but it will have been quite odd to hear after the club and their followers had their concerns disregarded and ridiculed for such a long period of time.

In any case, it is of little consequence until there is a sudden and significant desire for collective power over individual self-interest and a significant appetite for change. No matter how much sympathy there is for the fans of those two clubs, they should be given the same response that has been given to the Premier League champions for their alleged violations: if your club violates the regulations that they signed up to, they are required to accept responsibility for it.