English football has a problem and Manchester City have fallen into it and the local fan is paying the price | OneFootball

Ever since 2008 the financial aspects of football have become as hotly debated a topic as a contentious offside decision. Where this discussion point has come from is obvious to see. From the moment Manchester City were taken over by Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), terms such as sport washing, financial doping and others are almost as hotly debated as matters on the pitch. If proof of that is needed look at the coverage of Manchester City’s infamous 115 case. It is the biggest story in football currently. It will remain to be until a verdict is reached in the case.

But outside of that, the battle for revenue and to balance the books, so to speak, has taken precedence. Clubs must now adhere to financial fair play regulations and profit and sustainability laws. Those laws and regulations are a modern-day phenomenon. But what was lost and continues to be lost in this discussion is who will pay the price in the club’s battles to adhere to these rules and regulations. Fans are the ones who have to pick up that tab. That was where this story was always going to end. Now Manchester City have found themselves in a situation that they have created themselves. This isn’t a battle for the club’s or football’s soul so to speak, but it’s an end product of the environment football is currently played under.

Manchester City this week made a move that alienated their local fans. It’s a move that should never have been allowed to happen.

Earlier this week Manchester City announced a global partnership with ticket reseller Viagogo. That move alone has sparked intense fury from Manchester City season ticket holders and fans. Jack Gaughan has reported for the Daily Mail that protests are planned ahead of and during Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium against Leicester City. This move from Manchester City’s season ticket holders and fans makes perfect sense. For too long, City’s season ticket holders’ concerns have been ignored. Their concerns have been cast aside by the club. But this entire situation gets back to the issue with English football and European football in general. Revenue was made king almost 20 years ago. It dictates club’s recruitment strategies and more. Someone had to pay a price for that approach. It is at the cost of fans and season ticket holders. That fact is being lost in the way football has gone, and until it’s realised, fans will continue to pay the price.

Summary.

This week’s events and the upcoming protests of Manchester City fans and season ticket holders speak to a wider issue in the game. The PSR and FFP issues that dominate the news headlines created this situation. Clubs are now desperate for revenue. Manchester City aren’t immune to this issue. Unfortunately, someone had to pay the price for where the game sits in 2025. That was season ticket holders and fans who are forced to pay upwards of £110 for a replica kit and more. Their concerns are being ignored by the Manchester City hierarchy and a plethora of other clubs’ management.

Revenue is king in football, unfortunately, it’s not the billionaire owners who have to foot that bill. They aren’t allowed to. It’s season ticket holders who watch their beloved clubs lose their identity and match-day experience to their team’s chase for bigger money that can be found elsewhere. That’s not right, and if Manchester City continue down the path they’re on, they’ll lose what makes them so special as the force that has defied the established order since 2008.