For all those who hate football and the bullshit that goes with it, please look away now. I promise normal service will resume next month. The Premier League? It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? From the moment it started in the 1992/93 season it’s been the most overblown, overhyped football league in the whole world. (A year zero, I may add, where every record from the old First Division is mostly ignored.) Financed by lucrative broadcasting rights, commercial sponsorships, matchday revenue, and external owner or debt investment, it doesn’t take a genius to work out a lot of this is financially fragile. Gone are the days when matchday revenue meant much; at some clubs (Manchester City) it’s currently only 11% of total revenue, and on average, over the whole league, is bested by broadcast income by about 5 to 1. Broadcast income is king and without it the Prem wouldn’t exist in its current format - that income only on tap if you can convince the public that the product (football) is the best in the world. Which has been the mantra from inception, and has created problems ever since. Best in the world, equals more revenue, more profits, more exposure, and the opportunity to make even more money. And, as we know, as soon as there’s a business opportunity and money (and reputations) to be made, all kinds of financial wolves gather, from the honest businessman/woman to the worst kind of oligarch. And when oligarchs circle so do leaders of states and nations who wonder what they can get out of it. Reputation cleansing, sport-washing, and maybe even becoming so enmeshed in local communities that surround a football club the idea of divorce becomes untenable locally as well as nationally - which is where Manchester City, the Premier League, and the current government find themselves. As Jonathan Liew wrote in the Guardian on 29th September, “It was reported that UAE officials were warning that an adverse verdict against City could threaten billions in Emirati investment in the UK” and a few days later, a further double down, “UAE may halt UK investments after Manchester City guilty verdict”. And this is what happens when anyone can own a football club, where a possible sanction against wrongdoing suddenly becomes a matter of diplomacy. Meanwhile the Premier League will stumble on this season, its legacy tainted unless there’s a quick fix or an accommodation between the regulators and Manchester City. If an accommodation can’t be reached there’s some who are predicting that this stand-off between league and club will go on for years. The Prem, in effect, becoming a football dead duck mired in law suits and court cases while an exodus of the best players, coaches and managers finally taints that all important product. Arguably, it all went wrong when football turned into just another thing to sell. Is there a way out of this? Maybe, but best not hold your breath.