14 Oct 2026 10:52:00
Hello all, I know this is unlikely to happen but I would love to see PL teams (especially those with limited squads) field weakened teams against the cheaters - the logic being that they believe any result against them will be nullified anyway.
It would highlight the depth of feeling against the cheaters. There is no way the PL would dare to punish those teams that did that.
14 Oct 2026 11:11:01
They would though, its almost match fixing what you suggest. Plus todays team in theory has nothing to do with the Team from 2009-2018 even though we all know they're probably still cheating their arses off to cook the books.
14 Oct 2026 11:41:48
Arne, we really can't say because the period post 2018 has not been investigated. And given the nonchalant arrogance of ManCheats management, I wouldn't be the least surprised if it is found to have continued since 2018.
{Ed001's Note - you can say because the finances showed the same income as when they were topping it up by over 100m. If they stopped cheating, their income would have dropped.}
14 Oct 2026 12:17:20
Now that is a very simple but most accurate assessment ED01. So obvious really!
14 Oct 2026 13:36:07
In by-gone years, teams were punished for playing what the PL called a 'weakened team' but as we've moved on with what's the point in having a squad? As long as they're in your 25.
They're no longer considered a 'weakened team.'.
14 Oct 2026 12:57:57
Ed, I saw somewhere that the income has dropped. Not saying it is true, though because there is no proof of that either. What do you think on this?
{Ed001's Note - the only time income dropped was during Covid and then nothing like 100m.}
14 Oct 2026 15:48:37
Very valid point Ed001. I hadn't thought of that. Do you think they will look at post 2018 or slide it under the rug along with announcement of penalties and punishments for the previous period?
{Ed001's Note - they are being pushed into looking at it, but so far they have failed to do so. I am not sure why, they should have started a separate investigation into each year following 2018 at the same time as the original one was started. Clearly they are reluctant to do so as they don't want people to know who riddled with corruption and cheating the game is, hence why they regularly have clubs report failed drugs tests as injuries. At one point a few years ago, it was revealed that there were over 20 players throughout the English pyramid serving drugs bans that were being reported as long term injuries.
I think they fear the collapse cycling initially had after Lance Armstrong was caught. Not in terms of the fans turning the TV off, but the sponsors that withdrew cost that sport huge amounts of money, I think they fear similar happening to the Prem.}
14 Oct 2026 16:06:29
My biggest fear is that they will allow politics to play a part in the scale of punishments that are handed out. The PL is dealing with a state, not just a team from an English city. The amount of humiliation and loss of face for that state would be colossal and they are acutely sensitive to that.
14 Oct 2026 16:20:58
In response to your reply, Ed001, do you think this is a bigger scandal than the Italian "Calciopoli"?
{Ed001's Note - yes, because it involves outright buying off officials such as Oliver, while Calciopoli just worked to get favourable officials appointed to the matches. This is also got to involve the entire ADUG group of clubs, which is worldwide, so much bigger than just the Premier League.}
14 Oct 2026 19:20:39
Some coutries didn't even do any steroid testing at all (Spain in 2016 did not conduct a single urine or steroid blood test all year) some countries have their testing license revoked multiple times after wada found their testing to to be inconsistent (Qatar, UAE and Saudi have all had this happen)
Even in the Premier League man city were twice fined for missing dope tests citing new protocols as the reason for missing it, ironically the exact same excuse pep used when some of his Barca players skipped drugs testing as well.
It's funny how the only league which made pep stick to the rules (bundesliga) is also the only place pep really struggle to dominate as expected and his team actually regressed. Interestingly pep repeatedly blamed his teams poor performances in Germany on the team doctor and insisted if he'd been allowed to bring his doctor from Barca (a dude who got pep banned for steroids as a player) then they would have won a lot more.
Doping is a far bigger issue than people realise and a lot of players get protected by their FA to protect the income of the league. This is why I find it funny that série a is labelled so negatively when it's the only league who publicly pursues and punishes cheaters repeatedly.