I suspect there was no coincidence in the timing between the release of the CAS conclusions and then Uefa's punishment.
For me, this is all a show, not just for the peanut gallery, but for the actual clubs who have lobbied and pressed for punishment.
I remember the last time a punishment was delivered and we eventually got to hear about the deals and levels of back-channeling which took place
Call it quiet optimism or wishful thinking on my part, but CAS is exactly the public forum which still suits both City and Uefa.
Uefa have aired this from the rooftops, it has served all its purposes.
I don't believe Cerefin has come to our games by chance, nor do I believe Khaldoon has been sat idly on his hands.
Uefa can have this whole thing off their backs, once and for all.
They are all about attracting more money into the game, not taking it out.
At CAS, I will not be surprised to see where all the smoking guns are exposed, which people are implicated, how many procedural failures there have been along the way.
Even City's official response last night did not smack of City's usual MO. Yes, there are exceptional circumstances, but all the same, ours is a regime which does not air its dirty linen in public, we keep our powder dry.
A couple of other points, it's an absolute certainty that the wider media will be further emboldened to use this period to try and book end every bit of agenda and lobby for the Premier League and other clubs to try apply retrospective action of their own.
This is a period in when the club and supporters need to take record of who comes out from under those rocks.
Secondly, in terms of a direct impact to finances. I have been assured we won't feel a ripple. We recently took £390m into the group and this can be distributed across it as we see fit.
Lastly, be wary of The Athletic. They were the ones peddling we would not be punished and yet they have now come full circle, pushing the Premier League to stick the boot in.
This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.