Never Really About Football

#1054 | Ed and Paul pick through the fall out from City’s guilty verdict and conclude this is a geopolitical story more than football. The outcome might well owe more to diplomacy than to Premier League rules. Andy Burnham's situation and UK ties to Abu Dhabi suggest where the pressure is coming from. There’s a long look at the City fanbase: why will so few will engage with the evidence or a reasonable discussion about what’s happened? How did a club that was once the punchline become the vehicle of a state? There’s the damages bill that could run into billions and whether the other 19 clubs would really vote to expel. Could the only clean exit be a settlement fund and a forced change of ownership? 0:00 The guilty verdict 2:54 A geopolitical story 9:42 CAS 2020, six emails and the redactions 15:03 Financial doping 27:18 Why City fans won't engage 30:40 Who's who in Abu Dhabi 39:31 Was FFP ever a fair rule? 47:00 Lawsuits, damages and expulsion 55:36 Can titles be reassigned? 1:02:36 Settlement and getting the owners out 1:12:29 Wrap If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices