This is my point I guess. Der Spiegel contained factual errors in the opening line of the opening article (about City's formation) and so, in my eyes, it hadn't been properly fact-checked. A bit of an own goal because some of the errors were easy to fix - if they'd have contacted me or read one of my books about City's history they'd have got that bit right. Now that the Super League is being rubbished with some who were supposed to be behind it suggesting they may take legal action against the leaks/Der Spiegel then it's fairly obvious the whole lot of it should be properly investigated and challenged. As a historian I'm well aware that facts need to be properly triangulated and it is vital that this is done with all Der Spiegel's claims.
If I was in charge of UEFA - and any club or individual accused - I'd be seeking an independent investigation with the aim of getting the truth. Of course, this is unlikely as a full scale investigation could well identify deals etc. with various clubs, officials and so on. It sickens me that some of our best investigative journalists simply accepted Der Spiegel's stories as if they were true and it sickens me even more that few have raised the idea of investigating governing bodies and ALL clubs who negotiate and deal with them. As City fans I think we should answer any criticism of ourselves (that's way out of line!) or our club with a simple request along the lines of "we want a totally transparent, evidence-based investigation into UEFA and ALL clubs that deal with it. This must be properly triangulated so that all facts are properly evidenced and clear. Club-bias is irrelevant. What matters is that football provides a fair system that supports investment and growth of the game."
I'm pretty certain that the leading CL clubs do not want a full investigation and we all know that UEFA did their deal with City to avoid legal action. All I want is transparency, evidence based research and proper triangulation of facts and sources.