When will Manchester City's 115 charges verdict be delivered? Poll

[SatoPrincess]

When you think about it, Jose Mourinho would have won the league. Now it makes sense when he said finishing second place that season was his most successful season in his career. I want to know if Manchester City are stripped of the titles, do the awarded clubs hold a parade or is that train gone now?

I personally don't think they should be stripped of the title. Even if they're to do that, it should instead be voided, I.e no winner for that year. What's far more important is that they get punished, either through a massive points deduction that could be spread across 3-4 seasons, a fine, a transfer ban for the same number of seasons as the points deduction, etc. That alone will affect their ability to compete for the next 4-5 seasons or there about.

My team isn’t getting a trophy if the premier league strips those titles, so it’s not like I have a selfish interest in the case. Should they decide to make those seasons void, it would forever represent the dark days of the EPL when they almost allowed money to ruin the league.

And from all of this saga, my biggest respect goes to Jurgen Klopp for competing against City, and giving the league a very entertaining masterpiece.

Mikel Arteta also. People called them bottlers but the truth is it’s not easy coming second to that Manchester City side.

[Pmalek]

My team isn’t getting a trophy if the premier league strips those titles, so it’s not like I have a selfish interest in the case. Should they decide to make those seasons void, it would forever represent the dark days of the EPL when they almost allowed money to ruin the league.

Even if they decided to strip Manchester City of the titles they won, they shouldn't be awarded to the runners-up or any other team that didn't win the league on the pitch. Those cardboard titles don't mean anything because they weren't achieved on the field of play. A comparison can be made to the Calciopoli scandal back in 2006, when the Italian Federation stripped Juventus of two titles, punished a bunch of clubs, and awarded one of the league titles to Inter. That's a cardboard scudetto from Temu. They didn't win it.

[WhoYouCantKill]

Even if they decided to strip Manchester City of the titles they won, they shouldn't be awarded to the runners-up or any other team that didn't win the league on the pitch. Those cardboard titles don't mean anything because they weren't achieved on the field of play. A comparison can be made to the Calciopoli scandal back in 2006, when the Italian Federation stripped Juventus of two titles, punished a bunch of clubs, and awarded one of the league titles to Inter. That's a cardboard scudetto from Temu. They didn't win it.

I see the point you’re making. Finishing second isn’t the same thing as actually winning the league, the feeling of being handed the title as a runner up after punishment can never be the same as actually winning the league the normal way. Just because the records and trophies can actually be change on paper, doesn’t mean everything that happened during the season and the experiences can also be changed too.

[Jostern]

Even if they decided to strip Manchester City of the titles they won, they shouldn't be awarded to the runners-up or any other team that didn't win the league on the pitch. Those cardboard titles don't mean anything because they weren't achieved on the field of play. A comparison can be made to the Calciopoli scandal back in 2006, when the Italian Federation stripped Juventus of two titles, punished a bunch of clubs, and awarded one of the league titles to Inter. That's a cardboard scudetto from Temu. They didn't win it.

I see the point you’re making. Finishing second isn’t the same thing as actually winning the league, the feeling of being handed the title as a runner up after punishment can never be the same as actually winning the league the normal way. Just because the records and trophies can actually be change on paper, doesn’t mean everything that happened during the season and the experiences can also be changed too.

I think there could be a possible way to move forward, now we don’t know what is going to happen yet, but stripping them off the Premier League titles is an option, and given to the team that finished second, I believe the magnitude of the verdict is likely going to be more than what we are expecting, but let’s not forget that Manchester City wants to make an appeal, I don’t really understand what they’re appealing for because they have been found guilty for such a horrible crime.

It’s possible to take the trophy away from Manchester City and crown the runners up Premier League Champions and what they will have to do is returning the medals to registered players of each Season.

[KTChampions]

Even if they decided to strip Manchester City of the titles they won, they shouldn't be awarded to the runners-up or any other team that didn't win the league on the pitch. Those cardboard titles don't mean anything because they weren't achieved on the field of play. A comparison can be made to the Calciopoli scandal back in 2006, when the Italian Federation stripped Juventus of two titles, punished a bunch of clubs, and awarded one of the league titles to Inter. That's a cardboard scudetto from Temu. They didn't win it.

So who won? Udinese, or maybe Torino? No? Why Inter after all, can you explain? 
In general, this issue is handled differently in different places, for instance, the slew of titles Armstrong was stripped of were not awarded to anyone else, though not everyone considers that fair. The redistribution of medals happens constantly in the Olympic movement, and I see nothing wrong with cheaters being stripped of their medals and honest athletes receiving them - even if it happens later.
The situation with City is actually much more serious, they didn't just steal titles - they harmed the entire league and numerous clubs. Stripping them of their titles is, in fact, the mildest thing that could happen to them.

[igebotz]

Even if they decided to strip Manchester City of the titles they won, they shouldn't be awarded to the runners-up or any other team that didn't win the league on the pitch. Those cardboard titles don't mean anything because they weren't achieved on the field of play. A comparison can be made to the Calciopoli scandal back in 2006, when the Italian Federation stripped Juventus of two titles, punished a bunch of clubs, and awarded one of the league titles to Inter. That's a cardboard scudetto from Temu. They didn't win it.

The next generation are not going to read or care how they won, but how many titles they have and that's the most important thing about history - just like our generation didn't give a fuck about how the older generations won their titles in the 70s and 80s, we just read about the numbers and that's all.

If they're going to be stripped, it should go to someone else - we can't have those years vacant without winners.. imo.

[SuperBitMan]

Even if they decided to strip Manchester City of the titles they won, they shouldn't be awarded to the runners-up or any other team that didn't win the league on the pitch. Those cardboard titles don't mean anything because they weren't achieved on the field of play. A comparison can be made to the Calciopoli scandal back in 2006, when the Italian Federation stripped Juventus of two titles, punished a bunch of clubs, and awarded one of the league titles to Inter. That's a cardboard scudetto from Temu. They didn't win it.

The next generation are not going to read or care how they won, but how many titles they have and that's the most important thing about history - just like our generation didn't give a fuck about how the older generations won their titles in the 70s and 80s, we just read about the numbers and that's all.

Yeah, People will never care about the ways football teams used to win a title.
Just like back in those days when Maradona was still playing some of his goals, were actually offside, but because they were no machines or technology back then to dictate when someone was upside or not, those goals were counted, and till date Nobody actually cares about those things or stories. What they care about is how many goals he scored when he was playing, and that has made him a great player that people will never forget.
History mostly remembers your achievement not how you achieved it.

[WhoYouCantKill]

Yeah, People will never care about the ways football teams used to win a title.
Just like back in those days when Maradona was still playing some of his goals, were actually offside, but because they were no machines or technology back then to dictate when someone was upside or not, those goals were counted, and till date Nobody actually cares about those things or stories. What they care about is how many goals he scored when he was playing, and that has made him a great player that people will never forget.
History mostly remembers your achievement not how you achieved it.

You see the most interesting part is that history doesn’t always remember achievements in the same way. The passage of time can easily sweep away the controversies behind the achievements and only remember the stats and trophies. The only ones who actually get to still remember exactly how those achievements were questioned or gotten are the fans who witnessed the whole thing. But legacy is usually a mixture of both the records and the stories surrounding it.

[Antotena]

The verdict will determine what they will suffer or go through after all this. We will just wait and see. I know all football fans are just watching and waiting. It has taking a long time since we expected this verdict. But it seems nearer now.

I would have loved this verdict came when Pep was still city's manager. I would have loved to see how he would struggle with his team if maybe they gave them a 1-2 years ban on players buy, or maybe, announced that all there trophies within this crime years are stropped. There crime was of a high level. They went too far, and of course, they deserve something really serious and painful. But I wonder if it will still be very serious punishment since it has taken too long. Anyways, let's watch and see.

Everyone is pointing fingers at Manchester City for manipulating FFP to win leagues they couldn't have won in the past seasons which of course makes sense but is because the hacker was able to dig into their documents and expose it right. What is the probability that other clubs are not doing it? What if Manchester United, Chelsea, all of them are all involved in this manipulation but Manchester City happen to succeeded on their own to win many leagues as possible.

Many clubs are in Premier league for years now, they don't win trophies, not even 1 in the last 10 years and they are financing all kind of players just to remain in the Premier League, they have the money. This maths they show the public might be what is happening behind the scene but I think the league has found Manchester City as scape Goat and they want to make an example of them or maybe even politically motivated.

[Felicity_Tide]

Haaland, Klopp, Mourinho, and Pep were all after the time frame of these charges.
Manchester City were just better on the pitch than all these clubs, that is why they won.

I took about 30-40 mins in making a reply to everything you said only to end up seeing this two last statement, and I had to stop.
Well, I guess Chelsea didn't appoint any manager in June 2013... Liverpool didn't appoint any manager in October 2015, and Manchester city didn't appoint any manager in Feb 2016. The three clubs were literally competing with no managers 


PS - and as for my reply to all the things you felt were biased and inaccurate, well, I just don't want to post it so it doesn't feel like I'm derailing this thread because I actually went in detail with more facts and link to source. But if it's okay by the OP of the thread, I will drop it, but in the meantime, let's assume you're correct 

[Alpha Marine]

I took about 30-40 mins in making a reply to everything you said only to end up seeing this two last statement, and I had to stop.
Well, I guess Chelsea didn't appoint any manager in June 2013... Liverpool didn't appoint any manager in October 2015, and Manchester city didn't appoint any manager in Feb 2016. The three clubs were literally competing with no managers 

Are you sure you can understand anything? Was Pep in Man City in 2013? Was Pep in Man City in 2015?  What is wrong with you people? Pep joined Man City in 2016 and won only one league title during that time frame, which was in 2018, and that is when the charges end.  I just showed you that the charges are from 2009-2018, and you're here talking about a time Pep was not in Man City after implying that his team won because he cheated. What exactly is wrong with people here?

PS - and as for my reply to all the things you felt were biased and inaccurate, well, I just don't want to post it so it doesn't feel like I'm derailing this thread because I actually went in detail with more facts and link to source. But if it's okay by the OP of the thread, I will drop it, but in the meantime, let's assume you're correct 

Please bring the facts. Lol. I have already shown you a BBC sports article that explained all the charges and the time, but I'm sure you didn't read it because you don't want to learn anything; you just want to argue.
The fact that you're talking about Haaland, who was signed in 2022 by triggering his release clause and paying a huge agent fee to his father for charges that the period ended in 2018, shows that you have no clue what you're talking about.
Saying Man City cheated is one thing, but saying Pep was only successful because of the cheating is a whole different level of ignorance, to be honest.

No. They're not mutually exclusive. The sports needs finances to be successful; if you don't have the finances, you cannot run a club well. Paying players and coaches, acquiring sponsors, and running the club requires money. The game and the financial state of the club are mutually inclusive. So...stripping them of the title is not a far off punishment to the crime.

You cannot strip a club of trophies they won legally on the field. You can punish the club severely. If it were match-fixing charges or referee bribery and whatever, then it means they won the trophy illegally. But when they breached FFP and PSR cannot lead to stripping of trophies.
Heavy fines, transfer ban and points deduction would be the worst-case scenario if they lose the appeal.
These are crimes Chelsea, Everton and the rest have all committed. The difference is that Man City's were allegedly more.
 There is even a bigger chance of them getting relegated than of stripping them of their trophies.
Besides, who are the players Manchester City signed?

[Ale88]

I don't see what being a big club has to do with the punishment. Back in 2006 Juventus were a way bigger and more important club than Manchester City today and yet they got relegated to Serie B immediately after Italy won the World Cup. That was a huge signal to everybody from the Italian Federation. If the Premier League association (because I think there is a difference in England between the Federation and the PL) chooses to somehow go very soft just because "they are a big club" than there would be a huge precedent case that could be used in the future: City cheated and lied and didn't get punished, so I can do the same. I'm sure every single club is extremely interested in the verdict because of there is no punishment than everybody would be allowed to cheat.

I know Juventus got punished back in 2006 despite being a big club but the truth is you can’t compare football back then with what is happening now, a lot has changed, football has gained remarkable traction cutting across several continents and drawing attention from bigger fans and sponsors, football is the current ‘Gold’

Are you trying to say that 20 years ago football wasn't a big deal worldwide? Because that is what I understand and it would make absolutely no sense.

countries like England uses football as there major source of income

Eh? What does it even mean? How can a country use football as a source of income when the clubs are private? They simply pay taxes just like everybody else, where did you get that England's major source of income? It makes no sense (again).

do you think that such a country will just fold their hands and watch certain things happen?

"Watch certain things happen" like punishing a club that won a bunch of trophies cheating? You tell me.

Man city is among the biggest English sides currently, they have been representing England back to back in the champions league lately, so punishing such a team in a way that it will completely bring them that low as to going to the championship or below won’t be nice, rather i feel that the football governing board might convert those huge point deduction into monetary fines.

They can do whatever they want, and all the other clubs will find out whether there will be consequences or not. Because if City don't get punished then there is a green light for everybody: cheat as much as you want and don't worry, you'll just have to pay a fine.

It is not that if Man city is relegated they can’t return back to the EPL but think about the trauma it will cause most of the players and fans, think of the amount of top sponsors they will lose before you know it most players will leave the team and Man city will just become an average team that will start again from square one.

Think about the trauma of the players and the fans? What are you even talking about? It's a sport, there are way more important things in life.

[Accardo]

You see the most interesting part is that history doesn’t always remember achievements in the same way. The passage of time can easily sweep away the controversies behind the achievements and only remember the stats and trophies. The only ones who actually get to still remember exactly how those achievements were questioned or gotten are the fans who witnessed the whole thing. But legacy is usually a mixture of both the records and the stories surrounding it.

Is it not alarming how these controversies is pointing back to the trophies City has won over these periods, my question is, did the cheating, impact how they played against other English clubs or is it a way to ridicule the efforts the club has built over the years. Recently, Mansour & Khaldoon, believe these trouble will pass by, and they'll go through the verdicts, whether charged guilty or not, but from the Chairman's statement, he strongly believe City is innocent of all the allegations charged against them.

[OsaiEmma]

You cannot strip a club of trophies they won legally on the field. You can punish the club severely.

Guess you've forgotten what happened to Senegal in the previous AFCON competition.

If it were match-fixing charges or referee bribery and whatever, then it means they won the trophy illegally. But when they breached FFP and PSR cannot lead to stripping of trophies.
Heavy fines, transfer ban and points deduction would be the worst-case scenario if they lose the appeal.
These are crimes Chelsea, Everton and the rest have all committed. The difference is that Man City's were allegedly more.

And do you honestly think it was just FFP violation that accounted for the 114 guilty charges? They obstructed and refused to comply with investigation, they violated UEFA rules, they acquired sponsorship illegally/dishonestly etc; all these coupled with the numerous FFP rules they violated. Their violations and dealings are unprecedented, especially in this modern footballing era.

There is even a bigger chance of them getting relegated than of stripping them of their trophies.
Besides, who are the players Manchester City signed?

What! Are you trying to acquit them of a crime they're already convicted of? Why asking this sort of question? They clearly violated the rules, charged with 114 counts, you can't start asking the legitimacy of that verdict here.



I'm not saying they should or shouldn't strip them of the title, but you can't honestly say that it is an unreasonable punishment, because they used those unfair resources and acquisitions to win some of the numerous trophies they did.

[macson]

You and I know the trophies won't be given to the teams that finished second. Premier League won't want a big team like Manchester City to be sent to the Championship. The Championship has said that they will follow the decision of the EPL, so this is a very strong case for Manchester City. Though the owner has come out to offer hope to the citizens, I think that's false hope.

It remains that the final decision lies with the Independent Appeal Panel, which is currently working to consider the appeal filed by City. If the panel does not find City's appeal to be reasonable, then it is possible that City could face serious sanctions for the violation. We do not know what sanction will be imposed, but the violation is serious that the penalty may not be trivial. So let us wait and see their decision, whether they grant City's appeal or impose serious sanctions on City.

[DiMarxist]

Snip

The next generation are not going to read or care how they won, but how many titles they have and that's the most important thing about history - just like our generation didn't give a fuck about how the older generations won their titles in the 70s and 80s, we just read about the numbers and that's all.

And this is the more reason why Manchester City should be stripped off all their titles, in the period under investigation. Because this is total wickedness and biased play coming from Manchester City. In every game and sport there are rules and regulations that guides them and it's expected that any team or even individual that is partaking in such sport should abides by.

From all indications Manchester City is culpable and that has been proven already. So the next thing that should be done is the penalities, and that should be titles deduction or outright relegation so that it can sound as a very big warning to other teams that may try to go the way of Manchester City.

[buwaytress]

Actually, now that I think about it, yeah, EFL and Premier League are two separate entities. All Prem League can do is expel them in a worst case scenario, but EFL will have to accept them.

Actually no, I looked into the matter and there is quite an interesting situation there. If the Premier League imposes a points deduction on City (for example, 90 points) that results in the club's relegation, the Championship will be obliged to accept City. If City were to be directly expelled from the Premier League, the Championship would have no obligations toward City (nor would the other professional leagues). Therefore, if the professional leagues adopt the Premier League's decision and align themselves with it, City will have to start in the National League (I don't know the exact name - I think it's the fifth division or something like that). Yes, it sounds fantastic, but why not dream?

Ah you're right. I looked it up myself. Relegated teams must be accepted into the Championship but an expulsion then leaves City at the whims of EFL (which governs all the professional leagues below Prem). Very interesting scenario!

National Leagues, yeah, fourth division after League Two. Love this dream, I won't mind putting $10 on it if you see such a market, let me know haha.

You cannot strip a club of trophies they won legally on the field. You can punish the club severely.

Guess you've forgotten what happened to Senegal in the previous AFCON competition.

Or Juventus not so long ago.

Differently from that infamous AFCON, City's titles aren't legal if they used financial resources to gain an advantage illegally, which is precisely what these charges are all (or mostly) about.

[Alpha Marine]

You cannot strip a club of trophies they won legally on the field. You can punish the club severely.

Guess you've forgotten what happened to Senegal in the previous AFCON competition.

They were punished because it is assumed that they forfeited the match. They tried to walk off the field. But there is a reason the whole football world was against that decision. It was because they continued the game. They completed the match and were given the trophy. Mind you, that case is still in appeal.

What! Are you trying to acquit them of a crime they're already convicted of? Why asking this sort of question? They clearly violated the rules, charged with 114 counts, you can't start asking the legitimacy of that verdict here.

I guess when you people see 115 charges, they lose their heads. They committed 5 crimes, but they did it multiple times. It's the usual FFP rules, breaking the PSR, and failure to provide accurate financial details. Then failure to comply with the investigation.
It's just 5 breaches that they did 115 times. It's not like they committed 115 different crimes.

I'm not saying they should or shouldn't strip them of the title, but you can't honestly say that it is an unreasonable punishment, because they used those unfair resources and acquisitions to win some of the numerous trophies they did.

I will tell you again that stripping them of their titles is an unreasonable punishment. Do you people even realise that in the time frame of the charges, Man City were dominant? From 2009-2018, they won only 3 EPL trophies. So the domination of the league came years after these charges. 

People talking about this are not talking about it from a logical perspective. They are all being biased because they are rivals or because they hate how successful City has been, or they just hate the fact that oil-rich Arab families handle football clubs and money.
People are even asking for trophies they won after 2018 to be stripped. Nobody is even thinking clearly about it. Some are even saying Pep is no genius and he won because he cheated. he won only one league in the said period, ffs.
It's sad to see that when it comes to things like this, logic does not matter, as long as it's a club they hate, then to the guillotine.

The new owners of Chelsea even self reported what they found out when they took over the club. From 2011 to 2019 under Abramovic, there were irregulaties and FFP breaches, so the management reported it teh FA and UEFA, and they were fined.
I will say it again, it's fines, point deduction and transfer bans. There will be no stripping of trophies.

Or Juventus not so long ago.

Juventus titile were strip because theirs was match fixing
They influced referee and made things favourable for Juventus on the pitch. It's very different from Manchester City's.

[OsaiEmma]

You cannot strip a club of trophies they won legally on the field. You can punish the club severely.

Guess you've forgotten what happened to Senegal in the previous AFCON competition.

They were punished because it is assumed that they forfeited the match. They tried to walk off the field. But there is a reason the whole football world was against that decision. It was because they continued the game. They completed the match and were given the trophy. Mind you, that case is still in appeal.

Fielding those players that created the FFP violation, using illegally obtained sponsorship to keep up management of players and team that played on the field, and so many other violations that created an overall unfair advantage; aren't all these impacting in-field activity?

What! Are you trying to acquit them of a crime they're already convicted of? Why asking this sort of question? They clearly violated the rules, charged with 114 counts, you can't start asking the legitimacy of that verdict here.

I guess when you people see 115 charges, they lose their heads. They committed 5 crimes, but they did it multiple times. It's the usual FFP rules, breaking the PSR, and failure to provide accurate financial details. Then failure to comply with the investigation.
It's just 5 breaches that they did 115 times. It's not like they committed 115 different crimes.

I never said they committed 115/114 independent crimes—we all know that charges and crimes aren't the same thing. You can commit a single crime but at the same time have multiple charges based on the crime being committed and its legal classification.

I'm not saying they should or shouldn't strip them of the title, but you can't honestly say that it is an unreasonable punishment, because they used those unfair resources and acquisitions to win some of the numerous trophies they did.

I will tell you again that stripping them of their titles is an unreasonable punishment. Do you people even realise that in the time frame of the charges, Man City were dominant? From 2009-2018, they won only 3 EPL trophies. So the domination of the league came years after these charges.  

Of course, those are the only titles that are at risk of being stripped of from them. We can also argue that the players bought which triggered the violation still carried-over to the subsequent seasons; but I won't support that. The only titles I'm pretty sure will be affected are those during the time the violation were made. Just so you know, the most weighted crime is the sponsorship crime/refusal to provide true financial records—such crime haven't been violated in EPL before; in fact most of what they did: like the obstruction and refusal to cooperate during investigation haven't been violated in the EPL before.

People talking about this are not talking about it from a logical perspective. They are all being biased because they are rivals or because they hate how successful City has been, or they just hate the fact that oil-rich Arab families handle football clubs and money.
People are even asking for trophies they won after 2018 to be stripped. Nobody is even thinking clearly about it. Some are even saying Pep is no genius and he won because he cheated. he won only one league in the said period, ffs.
It's sad to see that when it comes to things like this, logic does not matter, as long as it's a club they hate, then to the guillotine.

You are right, the Pep talk was out of envy. Have they all forgotten what he did at Barcelona—Pep is exceptionally good when it comes to creating a team—He's arguably the best coach ever. But the club's management created an elaborate scheme to falsifying their financial records so that they can inflate their finances and evade FFP rules. This has been orchestrated and premeditated over a period of years so that they can acquire the sort of players they need to win the league and different titles—their overall success is influenced by this scheme.

Before the new takeover of Mancity, Mancity haven't had much success; in fact, they use to be in the second division. So yes, their violations affected not just the trophies before 2018 but also their subsequent ones—even if I feel talking about the subsequent ones is a far stretch, but it is still not out of place.

The new owners of Chelsea even self reported what they found out when they took over the club. From 2011 to 2019 under Abramovic, there were irregulaties and FFP breaches, so the management reported it teh FA and UEFA, and they were fined.
I will say it again, it's fines, point deduction and transfer bans. There will be no stripping of trophies.

Nah... don't compare the issues. These FFP breaches are straight forward, unlike Mancity's case.

Actually, now that I think about it, yeah, EFL and Premier League are two separate entities. All Prem League can do is expel them in a worst case scenario, but EFL will have to accept them.

Actually no, I looked into the matter and there is quite an interesting situation there. If the Premier League imposes a points deduction on City (for example, 90 points) that results in the club's relegation, the Championship will be obliged to accept City. If City were to be directly expelled from the Premier League, the Championship would have no obligations toward City (nor would the other professional leagues). Therefore, if the professional leagues adopt the Premier League's decision and align themselves with it, City will have to start in the National League (I don't know the exact name - I think it's the fifth division or something like that). Yes, it sounds fantastic, but why not dream?

Ah you're right. I looked it up myself. Relegated teams must be accepted into the Championship but an expulsion then leaves City at the whims of EFL (which governs all the professional leagues below Prem). Very interesting scenario!

National Leagues, yeah, fourth division after League Two. Love this dream, I won't mind putting $10 on it if you see such a market, let me know haha.

This is so sick. I wish they're fined instead, that seems like the best punishment to them—I'd still love to see Mancity play and keeping the EPL highly competitive.

Differently from that infamous AFCON, City's titles aren't legal if they used financial resources to gain an advantage illegally, which is precisely what these charges are all (or mostly) about.

Alpha Marine, you conveniently missed this part.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Manchester City have been a great team for a very long time but this chargers I don't see anything too serious to happen that's if it has been confirmed, I mean their decision. For what the former Tottenham boss said about the punishment, I completely agree with him, it seems pointless but my question is why wait till now? It happened before and some how they might bury this pressure they have on City till the end of this season and the case will come up again.