Well, yeah, I'm a pessimist on this one.
Obviously not certain, but pretty sure it will fizzle out in a way that does not resolve the underlying issue or deliver a proper punishment.
Four years and 115 charges doesn't really mean much - it's certainly no evidence in itself of a thourough and well done job and a solid foundation to nail them.
One thing is definitely certain, it will drag on for years, both the ongoing process and the inevitable appeal.
During this time - their profile will grow, making them even more untouchable.
It means everything.
It means they spent almost half a decade gathering enough information to issue an unprecedented amount of charges to any team in the history of sport.
The evidence is in the emails, calls, documents, accounts, fake companies, and industrial scale money laundering operation they've been running. Ever since a struggling multinational airline decided to invest millions in the 2nd best team in Manchester that had absolutely no global marketing reach.
The lack of news on the case is normal, and not a sign of nothing happening, or of it being potentially swept under the carpet. City's lawyers will delay and distract as long as they can, but this isn't like the UEFA/CAS situation. There are far more breaches, much more evidence, plus multiple charges that relate to lack of co-operation with the investigation. The period 2018 to 2022 hasn't even been investigated fully yet, as City are refusing the PL access to information. It wouldn't surpise me if there's plenty more revelations to come from Der Speigel and other outlets, hackers, whistle-blowers or leaks. In such a massive corrupt enterprise over such a long period, it's almost inevitable.
City know they're guilty, we know they're guilty, and the PL know they're guilty. It's just a matter of time now, and I highly doubt the PL would've commited so much time and money to such a lengthy investigation and then publicly declared 115 charges, only to then let them off with a mild punishment.
City's cheating has affected the outcome of hundreds of individual games, plus outcomes of league titles, cup competitions, relegation battles, and Champions league qualification. The number of people in high places queuing up to bring them down has also been growing ever since the CAS farce. Heads of other European leagues despise them - especially La Liga and Serie A, who have punished their own clubs strongly and swiftly for far less. Imagine how much more they're hated after winning the CL. I wouldn't underestimate how much influence other European leagues will try and put on this case - now that they see City as a more credible threat in European competition.
I accept some people's pessimism given the way the footballing landscape has evolved, but I think there's way too much at stake for the PL, it's clubs, and the reputation of European football for cheating of this magnitude to not be severely punished.
