21 Apr 2021 12:59:17
I'll be very interested to see how the clubs are punished, as Ed002 suggested unfortunately there's no way of punishing the owners and not the club.

I can't see relegations happening, however I wouldn't be surprised to have points docked and very heavy fines.

1.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:21:15
May I suggest that it is very difficult to punish anyone for something that hasn't happened yet.

2.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:28:51
I doubt anyone will get punished.

3.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:33:07
Exactly JACKMYTTON how can teams be punnished for something that never actually happened.

4.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:36:34
If you attack a surrendering army you force them to fight back. Hopefully said authorities put the 12 clubs on notice and don’t start to try and force excessive punishment or the 12 clubs might fight back. Only my opinion
Up the reds.

5.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:39:16
The club will not get punished for this, I doubt they have legal grounds to punish them.

6.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:45:27
Punished for what? The FA and uefa will open a can of worms they are as sly and corrupt at any of the elite 6 owners!
Uefa magically found 4bn in a account stop the lights!

7.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 14:01:49
Of course you can get punished for things that haven't happened. planning to commit fraud, murder or anything illegal can be punished in law and I’m sure some contracts have been broken with what has happened.

8.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 13:08:50
On balance, and having calmed down a fair bit from where I was last night, I think hefty fines are the fairest way to limit (as best as possible) the punishment to the owners rather than the players, fans or managers.

Obviously, a fine may result in transfer funds being reduced as a result, especially given the world situation right now. However, a fine would have least impact on the other groups involved, in my view.

Also, maybe one of the Eds can help here, are FA/ UEFA/ FIFA fines included as expenses when doing the FFP calculations?

{Ed002's Note - They are noise in respect of FFP. Clubs will spend more on catering the Directors dining room.}

9.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 14:21:29
In my opinion, all 12 teams knew about one key factor here; the "closed shop" aspect. Maybe the detail was misrepresented to some, but they were all signing up in the knowledge they'd get special treatment via a place in an elite tournament that they didn'thave to earn. That for me brings the integrity of the game into disrepute. I'd hit every team who signed up with a 15 point deduction effective immediately.

{Ed002's Note - That was not what was misrepresented.}

10.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 14:41:29
That's my point Ed002. They all knew they were signing up to automatic qualification and it us that aspect (taking away competition) that in my opinion brought the game into disrepute. The greed stuff is just noise to me. UEFA have just announced their own attempt at making more money through additional continental games. I had no issue with the greed as i felt it was a hypocritical point considering the alternative was continuing under FIFA/ UEFA. Not to mention the players want increasingly more money whilst the fans want to pay less for ticketswhilst simultaneously expecting the owners to reach into their own pockets. Everyone involved in football is greedy. I saw fans replying to the official apology with "good, now go sign Mbappe and we forgive you". The fans and players are no better when it comes to greed but at least we understand the importance of earning your place and don't devalue the integrity of the sport. I love Liverpool but the club deserves to be punished. John Henry represents us whether we like it or not.

{Ed002's Note - Nobody sees it as disrepute. The amateur lawyers are beginning to confuse things for everybody here.}

11.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 15:12:14
I’m going to go full conspiracy theorist and say even if there are public sanctions/ punishments handed out, I think uefa, the FA and whoever else involved will take it to the pitch as well and give these teams some dubious officiating for their troubles. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we just kept getting the short end of the stick on officiating to hurt us on the pitch, they already are at times as it is.

12.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 15:02:41
I think the instigators of this scheme have already paid a very heavy price (Woodward and Agnelli having to resign and Henry issuing a groveling, humiliating apology to the fans by video message) . Anything beyond that would be making the clubs pay a price for something they did not do, or were not willing participants of. I'm not an apologist, and will simply say the rules are the rules. If fines and docking of points has to happen then let it be so. Everyone knew, the rules are clearly written in black and white.

The more interesting part for me, is to know what the way forward is now, since the dust is beginning to settle and all the emotion is subsiding, with calm rational thought coming back to take over. Have FSG cancelled out their entire credit, with the fans, established over 10 years? I'm on the fence on that one. Our history of the last 30 years has more "bad ownership" than the "good" type and we should all be hesitant and look before we leap. And let's not forget that there are several similar proposals still on the table and still being discussed. All this did not happen in a vacuum or happen out of nowhere. With hindsight, it appears that these 12 owners simply got caught with their hand in the cookie jar in their mindless haste. They learnt a valuable lesson. Many other owners are still interested in similar ways forward, but doing it differently.

13.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 15:40:59
I'm not sure that there is a legitimate route to any tangible punishment or penalties - i. e. points deductions or financial. Did the proposal to join a breakaway European Super League breach any rules, regulations or laws? If not, then I don't see how it can be punishable. Indeed, if the Super League had gone ahead and then the FA, UEFA and other federations had tried to expel clubs and players from competitions, they might have found that they didn't have legal grounds for doing so.

What might be more likely is an intensifying of the "them and us" sentiment between these six clubs and the rest of the Premier League clubs. I'm not sure whether that would manifest itself in anything that would feel like punishment or discomfort for the "Big Six" but, for example, a future vote on five substitutions or something similar might see the other fourteen clubs make a stronger stand against the "Big Six". Ultimately though, I think the Premier League and it's constituent clubs find themselves in a position whereby if they do anything that significantly impacts or weakens the likes of Liverpool, Utd and City, then the impact might trickle down to all of them.

14.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 17:00:50
Nobody's getting punished so those fans begging for their pound of flesh from FSG need to give it a rest.

15.) 21 Apr 2021
21 Apr 2021 16:52:48
Disrepute - "the state of being held in low esteem by the public. "

I'm sorry Ed002, but i care not for the legality of this because that's not my area and i'm not claiming to be a lawyer It's absolutely the correct terminology though and the punishment i suggested is simply what i see fit, but i have no idea what the actual rules are. I don't know a single fan who didn't hold the game in low esteem in the last 72 hours so if the powers that be don't see this as disrepute they live under a rock. The reputation of the sport has taken a huge hit.

{Ed002's Note - The issue is that the owners, together with their friends, the owners of Manchester United have damaged the clubs, the reputation of the clubs and the trust others have in the clubs. I would suggest that the powers that be (whoever you think they are) could be satisfied if these two clubs took the honorable approach. If there is even the smallest piece of honour left in these two clubs, given all respect and trust has gone, perhaps nobody would care any longer if they declined their next entry in to European competition that they qualify for - so apologise by saying sorry, but we won't enter the Champions League this season given we were trying to destroy it. If they did that, they would lose a bunch of money but regain some respect of others in the game. The question is: "Is chivalry dead? Or do the owners of Manchester United and Liverpool not understand what it means."}

16.) 22 Apr 2021
22 Apr 2021 01:54:43
If there's a few dollars to be made in being chivalrous im sure they will do it. I highly doubt Henry and Glazers will be making any apologetic gestures because its morally the right thing to do.

{Ed0666's Note - I fully expect to be charged $1 to use the toilet at Anfield when fans are allowed back. $3 for a number two.