"Has the Premier League become a farce?": Manchester City's case overshadows Anfield treble
Football has taken second place
Manchester City's 3-0 win at Anfield barely had time to settle. The case of the financial breaches brought against the club overshadowed the echoes of the victory, with criticism mounting in the English press over the value of their results before the final ruling arrives.
French newspaper "L'Equipe" shed light on the shift in how the English media handles victories for Pep Guardiola's side, pointing out that a win over Liverpool, in the era of the great duels between Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, would have topped the sports headlines. The financial accusations now cast a shadow over anything achieved on the pitch.
At the heart of it are 114 alleged financial breaches of Premier League regulations, concerning the period between 2009 and 2018. Manchester City deny the accusations, and the wait for the final decision continues to stir debate about the club's future and its results.
"The Guardian" went as far as to say that football has become secondary, questioning the actual value of Manchester City's victories in light of the possibility of sanctions, and whether their current results will still matter when the ruling is issued, given that uncertainty follows everything the team achieves.
For its part, "The Independent" described the situation as "unbearable", pointing out that talking about the ramifications of the case is different from the sense of absurdity felt when watching a match whose ultimate value may be affected by the outcome of the legal proceedings.
"The Telegraph", meanwhile, called the scene a "farce", noting how hard it is to ignore the club's celebrations amid the exceptional atmosphere surrounding the case.
Sports programmes picked up the debate too. "BBC Radio" devoted a discussion to the question of whether the Premier League has turned into a "farce", while Gary Neville, the former Manchester United star and "Sky Sports" analyst, took a sharper stance.
Neville said after Manchester City's win over Liverpool that he would be happy to be excused from commentating on the team's matches over the coming months, until the ruling in the case is issued.
Controversy or not, Manchester City continue to compete for top spot in the Premier League, three points clear of Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain are next on Wednesday in the Champions League, a fresh test in which they hope to keep the positive results coming away from the growing pressures off the pitch.
