nmc
Well-Known Member
I'm 6 months on here and so far have avoided giving my opinion on the subject. Seeing as you have specifically asked I will share my thoughts. Firstly I have noticed a real change in mood in the last few weeks since the poll went up and @projectriver provided his brilliant analysis.
Now gets ready to run for the hills*
As an outsider looking in and what I feel is the general consensus among other fans is City are obviously guilty. In so many ways it reminds of 2 cases, the John Terry/Anton Ferdinand case and the Suarez/Evra case. The Chelsea fans weren't as ferocious as they were inwardly delighted to have a racist as captain but still wouldn't have it be said that only true version of events was the one provided by their spiritual leader. With Liverpool you had players wearing t-shirts in support and supporters learning intricate pieces of law and Montevideo slang and swearing blind their man is the victim when literally everyone else is looking at them and saying what the fuck is wrong with them? To this day they won't have anyone say Suarez was a wrongun despite a mountain of evidence and a series of various crimes for differnet teams in different countries. They wanted to sue the FA, Ferguson,Evra, UEFA and anyone else that didn't believe them. It was only the eventual intervention by sponsors that had them put their guns away. In 20 years time those fans will still reject any accusation he made racist remarks.
I think something similar will happen here, City will lose and eventually sponsors/investors will demand a line is drawn underneath this. I won't line, I do think City are guilty but I don't think this is anywhere near as clear cut as the Suarez case simply because there is so much more involved and City at every level (bar internet security) seem to be world leaders, add in another jurisdiction which UEFA have no rights in and it becomes a much closer call. It's so technical and so huge that there is a massive chance someone in UEFA has fucked up somewhere along the line, I suspect City's bluster is based around having the confidence that the best legal team money can buy will find that mistake.
* you did ask.
Its all about opinions, and none of us have a definitive view, personally I'm clinging to the fact that our owners are putting their own and the UAE's reputation firmly and very publicly on the line here and I find it very hard to believe that given their natural conservatism and culture of respect they'd push this hard unless those expensive lawyers had given them rather 'good odds'. Equally, the bullish statements coming from the club are at odds with normal UAE culture and again these will have been cleared by our legal representatives. Of course UEFA are not backing down either so someone's onto a hiding - I just pray its not us.