Even as a city fan I just want to say I appreciate your sentiment in your last paragraph. Something needs to be done to FFP to make it easier for clubs to rise like city did, because FFP really does make it impossible for “smaller” clubs to challenge a title which means that there will never be even footing. Older and more established clubs who spent more in the past will always have the edge.

As for city specifically, I read the CAS judgements and they found nothing financially suspect, even when reviewing the time barred stuff. So I wouldn’t say the process is “deciding upon a punishment” at this point in time as much as it is deciding if a punishment is warranted. I doubt we’ll ever agree on that but I do appreciate you mentioning that things need to change to allow teams to replicate City’s rise in a “fair” way.