MANCHESTER — Fourteen days after Manchester City were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges leveled against them, a verdict later confirmed by the Premier League, supporters are caught between anxiety and defiance as the club continues to deny the charges and pursue an appeal. The case has hung over the Premier League since February 2023, with the appeal outcome and potential sanctions still unknown, ranging from a substantial fine to points deduction, transfer bans and even expulsion from the Premier League, as City prepares to return after the international break with an away match at Anfield top of the Premier League.
Steven McInerney, the 41-year-old from Manchester whose first City match was in 1994 during the club's third consecutive season in the newly formed English top flight under Brian Horton, captured the whiplash. "It's been one of the longest weeks of my life. It feels like the situation is changing every few seconds," he told BBC Sport. "My mood's varied between doomscrolling and catastrophising to suddenly feeling quite defiant and thinking this is just football," he added, saying, "People largely didn't expect the verdict to come because this had been going on for so long. It blindsided me and I think it blindsided the football world."
Rachel Herdson from Altrincham, a season ticket holder since 1989, said her support is unwavering even as the club's name is tarnished. "Last Friday, when I went to bed, I was a Manchester City fan. I woke up a City fan. And guess what? Even after the bombshell, the Premier League statement, I am still a City fan," she said. "Don't get me wrong I am not doing cartwheels, because the club's name is being tarnished," she added, noting, "And I think even if we go to the High Court and win any sort of appeal, it'll still be tarnished." She pointed to what is being lost in the fallout, including the achievements of players like Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva, adding, "This is my club. I love this club. And if the worst happens and our next derby is against Altrincham, I'll be there like I always have been."
That defiance will be on display at Anfield, where fan groups are organizing an 'old-school away day' calling on the 3,000-strong traveling support to wear retro shirts and bring inflatables, a nod to the inflatable bananas popularized by City fans in the 1980s when the club was in the second tier and synonymous with the club ever since. "The fans have been through some dark times and we got through it with humour," season ticket holder Dave Wilson, who will be at Anfield, said. "City fans won't hide from our football club and whatever ends up happening, we - as fans - will do it in our unique way." Rylan Vernon, 18, born in Manchester in 2008 and who has known only success including the Treble in 2022-23, echoed that loyalty: "Obviously I love my team - I back them all the way," he said. "The rules were put in place by big teams so no-one else could get a chance to become a big team. And now that someone has, who was little, they're trying to do them for financial fair play," he added, saying, "City for life. Even if we did go down, we'd come straight back up."
Official supporters' club representative Kevin Parker said work on the field should not be overshadowed, noting the charges relate to the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18, when City won the Premier League three times including pipping Liverpool in 2013-14. "The players are professionals - they will get on with it," Parker said. "These players are seasoned internationals." He added, "This issue has been hanging over us like the sword of Damocles over the last eight years." The mood around the squad follows Maresca's call for focus in training after the guilty verdict, with Parker noting Anfield is always hostile and that chants will not faze a fanbase that has watched City in the third tier before.