28 Sep 2026 13:19:05
Man City may have cheated but how much more money did they spend per year than Liverpool or Man Utd?
If Wolves cheated and spent £400 million, they would still be spending a fraction of what the top teams were. Would they be demonized if they got into the top 4?
28 Sep 2026 16:42:20
The amount is irrelevant Handsome, it's about the profit and loss of the business and how much the club itself can afford. Man U and Liverpool have built their brands up over many years accruing large (genuine) sponsorships/income streams along the way.
Their owners aren't routing money via third parties and calling it sponsorship which is one of the things City are charged with.
28 Sep 2026 17:47:15
Point is, the rules are artificial. If they spend the same amount as Liverpool, from a sporting perspective, they were better.
This whole FFP is so that team owners don't bankrupt their teams and yet Man U owners have saddled the team with enormous debt, as I understand it.
The rules are an ass.
28 Sep 2026 17:50:17
"Manchester United has about £969.6m in debt (including gross debt, bank borrowings, and outstanding transfer fees), and more recently its total debt was reported at a record £1.29 billion."
How is this preventing Man U from going broke?
28 Sep 2026 18:41:10
RankClubRevenue (£ million)
1. Liverpool: 836
2. Manchester United: 793
3. Manchester City: 719
So did their cheating just allow them to spend the same as Liverpool?
How much did this cheating allow them to overspend? £50 million per year? £150 per year? £250 million per year?
If we find out all top clubs were cheating by including or not including some revenues or costs, would they also get their trophies questioned?
29 Sep 2026 19:34:32
Again the size of the debt is irrelevant if the club has the income to service it. Carrying a large debt does not make you insolvent if you can make the payments, therefore service the debt and continue to pay your bills.
The problems start if you lose significant income ie, sponsorships to the extent that you can no longer do those things.
The rules may in practice protect the 'big 6' but all the clubs voted for them and agreed to adhere to them. As things stand neither Man U not Liverpool have been found guilty of any rule breaches and are not insolvent.