soccer, talk this week. And that is obviously the big
breaking news that Manchester City have been
charged with over 100 alleged breaches of premier league
rules. Obviously, this is a huge developing story. It seems
like every day there's new updates and new new kind of
news lines coming out on both ends of this.
The big question I want to ask you is how do you think this will
impact man's cities
season? Offseason that summer and going ahead because some of
The reports say this could take years to man city to actually
be punished and charged with these. Alleged breaches are all
maybe to clear their name as well. So this is going to be
a long legal battle this investigation into them has
already been going on for what four years. So
it's been a long, long time and
in the works and
I guess yeah. My question to you is
if you are a player,
a man city if your
Pep Guardiola, if you're on the staff, if you're a potential
new player coming into Man City in the summer window, coming
up,
what do you think, what?
Thinking because there is a lot of uncertainty around our
situation and about the severity of the punishments
that could be handed out to them.
That's the part. I'm most interested in is the transfers
in the summer
because we know Pep Guardiola, he wouldn't have signed on for
as long as he had. If he didn't think he could continue to
refresh his Squad. And I don't even think he necessarily makes
them the
can sell alone. If he knows that that something like this
could happen. So
it's a weird time for Me Joe and it's I think it's a weird
time for everyone in England because we've seen this happen
in other countries. We have not I mean
I know Pompey lost points for going to Administration and
I think was it Borough? I was reading up on this the other
day Middlesbrough maybe for fielding an ineligible player,
but that's twice in like 30. 35 years.
So this is New Territory and frankly there's a part of me
that just wants to be like Joe tell me what to think because
and that's why I want to ask this because I think a lot of
our fans are
Our listeners are Watchers fans around the Premier. League are
wondering how weird is this.
If your English, this is a new situation,
it is. And I think
honestly, I think even the most Ardent, Manchester City fan,
probably expected, something like this to happen,
given all of the charges and all of the Intrigue and to how
man city's been able to spend the money. They've been spend
and comply with the
financial fair play regulations. And we know there
was the away for investigation and the Charges. And obviously,
those were thrown out after the appeal to the court of
arbitration for sport on the kind of technicality. And
that's not the case here, this is a long-standing
investigation going into
many, many years under this ownership or pretty much what
we talking a 13-year period plus. So
it's strange I think
it also when we look at PSG look at Man City,
now we maybe even look at what Newcastle could do.
The future and then there's other
ownership groups and models and different way of doing things.
Even if you look at Chelsea now in the money, they're spending.
There's that
always that question of, okay? The rules are there for
a reason to fairness to try and stop these super Club spending
incredible amounts of money, but they're still spending
that, so they're finding some way to do that, and
I think this will have huge ramifications. However, this
shakes out be it, man, cilia, punished heavily, if they're
just find
if they get away, With, you know, these charges and they're
proven not to be,
you know, correct. And I have any standing then
this is going to have huge ramifications for the future of
the Premier League, the future of ownership of big teams
around the world really. So yeah, it's a really strange
position to be in and I think as I said at the top Man City
fans
are feeling very anxious and I think this is different to that
you a further investigation. I think now, this is
in a territory where it seems very very plausible. Man City,
whenever these sanctions are handed down to them for these
breeches. If they are proven guilty of this, then
it could be starting a season on - 20 points. It could be
relegation. Further down, the English football pyramid and
then you know, I heard anything about and robbing Musto talking
about it on air
during the week as well. That
does. This mean that even in the championship and
the football league league one League to that, they would even
be accepted into those leagues because then you're taking up
pretty much a promotion spot. From one of those teams. So
it's a really difficult situation unprecedented on
a level that we've never seen before. And
the fact, the city of 16 titles in the last 11 seasons,
and they have these
severity of these allegations, and the just, the extensive
nature of a right. It just, again, we've always said this,
a city, how great of a team, they are how great the players,
they are. How great Pep Guardiola is,
there's always going to be an asterisk next to the name
and until they get it finally cleared on their end of, they can.
Or if it these charges are
they are true and they are charged with these breaches,
then
then it's going to have a huge Ash tricks. And
one of the greatest teams in the history of the Premier
League, and English football is going to have, you know,
a huge, huge problem with their legacy. So I guess for you and
you mentioned it there, Pep Guardiola sign that New Deal.
What do you think he's thinking right now? And particularly New
signings as well. Do you really think the players want sign for
Man City this summer
with this in the background? And
it's a big question for them, right? Because they're already
chasing Arsenal this season and the Premier League title race.
So they need to kind of make up the ground somewhere.
Yeah. I think you'll see Clauses in contracts. I think
you'll see maybe shorter term deals things that are adjusted
as time
goes on. You may not see them sign guys until later in
a window because people are fearing the announcement. Stop.
It's interesting to me
as we continue to look through the sort of,
you know, where are our moral codes or whatever. Where
does this need to fall in sport? What is fair? What is not fair?
Most of these, I think Pep Guardiola,
especially the way that he has protested,
whenever anything is come up. I know I've been assured. This,
that you have to look at these. Most of these accusations were
happened,
before he got there.
And I think the
The Premier League's judgment. We tend to trust where they're
going to come out on this understandably so because
they
could be very harsh on Man City. And then we could find
out that another club was doing this, or there are other clip
and then that has to follow suit and what are you going to,
you know?
So you have to also you have to
make a big message, right? The first time that you make
a punishment like this, but it can't be so severe that you're
going to set a path that other people are going to go on.
I just think the one thing I really hope and I know this is
Goofy and this is the kind of baseball fan historian in me.
I hope it doesn't go to retroactively
applying things because
you know like which one Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy
or Barry Bonds sets the homerun record and there was something
improper there. We all still saw that. So going back,
I think Lucas Leiva, kind of funny, did you see this?
Am I a Premier League champion now I thought that was very
funny but I hope we're not just saying well I guess they won
the league now because
Those sort of things that I hope we keep it to the Future.
Yeah, I agree with you. And I think,
looking at similar cases, not quite similar, but different
situations where teams have been sanctioned that. You look
at Glasgow Rangers. You look at your Ventus and how those kind
of
you could see something like this happen. If they are
indeed guilty of these alleged breaches right now. But
you have to wait and see. I think for Man City fans, have
you speak to them. It's been a rollercoaster for them at
the best and worst of times. And
it's going to be really intriguing to see how this all
Exile and how the players the manager and team how they focus
and I think
champions league, right? That's the big thing. Now that I just
focus on, we've got to win it this season because we're not
sure we're actually going to be in it in the years to come
given what kind of sanctions that are
placed on them by the Premier League
if they're found guilty so
head over the pro soccer talk on. NBC sports.com.
For all the latest on. This
investigation to city is there are over
100 alleged breaches of premier league rules. It's all shaken
out. There's a lot of updates but we'll keep you updated on
PST on the latest. On Manchester City situation.