Has it occurred to anybody that the 115 case has something in common with VAR? If it takes this long to come to a decision, then they probably shouldn't have intervened in the first place.
But what is, finally, wearisome is this: on other club's forums, and in thousands of know-very-little-to-know-nothing discussions between wise old birds down the pub, the sheer length of time this has dragged out has petrified what were and still are no more than allegations into established facts.
No substantive detail is required for these facts to be facts.“City are cheats”, “You support a cheater club”.
And how do you know this, good sir? I mean, how do you personally know this? Really – I'm listening:
“Well it's just well known, isn't it? I mean… you couldn't have won all this stuff otherwise could you? I mean — everybody says it… so it must be true, mustn't it?”
In short, this is what's called received opinion, masquerading as truth.
A mantra repeated often enough has a hypnotic effect…
Nobody should be under any illusions. Even if we are exonerated — even if the charges are fully dismissed — in fact, especially then, this will go on — and on — but henceforth simply in the form of “You slippy buggers! Got away with it, didn't you! Paid ’em off, did you? Yeah, backed by an oil state, you can even twist the law to suit your purposes…”
And yes, it is true — oil is slippery. That part is undeniable. All the rest follows.
They rest their case. M'lud.