MANCHESTER, England — They already had the huge “Three in a Row” celebratory banner hanging over the main entrance at the Etihad Stadium prior to Manchester City‘s latest coronation as Premier League champions. They don’t waste any time updating the list of achievements at City, but then again, it’s becoming an annual occurrence when it comes to Pep Guardiola’s team.
– Dawson: Man City’s reserves down Chelsea as title celebrations begin
Arsenal‘s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening confirmed City as champions without a ball being kicked against Chelsea on Sunday, so for the third time in three years — and fifth time in six seasons — the Etihad was dressed for a title party. There were celebratory scenes inside and outside the stadium, the smoke from blue flares accompanying the City team bus as it arrived for the game, but away from this blue corner of Manchester, City’s latest success has been greeted with apathy and suspicion in equal measure.
Winners tend to be disliked eventually, especially serial winners, but it’s different with this City team. Nobody quite knows what to feel.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & more (U.S.)
On the one hand, Guardiola’s team are arguably the best the Premier League has ever seen. They decimate opponents with ruthless consistency, playing a brand of football that makes them unbeatable on their day. Just ask Real Madrid, the reigning European champions, who were destroyed in a 4-0 Champions League semifinal second leg last Wednesday.
But City are also under the cloud of more than 100 Premier League charges for allegedly breaching financial regulations. The club vehemently deny all charges and have committed to fighting to overturn each of them, but the charge sheet is so lengthy and comprehensive that nobody outside of the Etihad is prepared to toast Guardiola’s team as being simply the best.
City are accused of 50 breaches of providing inaccurate financial information, eight breaches in relation to manager remuneration from 2009 to 2013, 12 breaches in relation to player remuneration from 2010 to 2015, five breaches linked to UEFA financial regulations, 25 profitability and sustainability breaches and 30 breaches of assisting the Premier League investigation, which dates back to March 2019. If found guilty, City face punishments ranging from fines and points deductions to expulsion from the league, making the stakes incredibly high.
