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The article below is an excerpt from the members-only Friday edition Miguel Delaney: Inside Football Newsletter.
Each edition reflects on what really matters in the modern game beyond the obvious talking points. There’s also a Q&A section – your chance to consider what’s happening on and off the pitch.
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There has been a lot of commotion in the Premier League boardroom over the past two weeks, for two linked reasons.
One is that senior figures are seeking the club’s opinion on whether competition chairman Alison Brittain should be given another three-year term. If this sounds like dry executive business, the more complex reality is that these views are being shaped by something that stirs emotions across the game: the progress of the Manchester City case, which Brittain regarded as influential in leading to an initiated arbitration – “raising the stakes much higher”.
Although I firmly believe that it is best week in footballThe start of the week saw another wave of the usual international-break chaos – only this time, it was more intense than usual. Ahead of some of Sunday’s games, club officials were sharing rumors that a decision would eventually come during this international window. So far, that hasn’t happened – just as it hasn’t during any previous international break this year.
It’s becoming a joke, and it’s unfortunate that this phrase applies on more than one level.
Very few people know the real details of the case, which has been one of the central problems. Even some of the most senior club figures in the Premier League are as subject to rumors and speculation as almost everyone else.
I have been told that the result is “imminent” on at least five occasions this year.
And as everyone waits, the debate about Britain’s support rages on. Given that the assessment of his suitability for a second term will essentially be determined by the outcome of the City case, several senior sources believe it is “absurd” to make such a decision before what they describe as a “fundamental” moment.
He says that some clubs want to remove him if the results are not considered a success for the Premier League. “Success” will also be assessed on time, cost and any appeals.
Of course, the city continues to insist on its innocence. But with so little clarity on progress, the void is growing — and with it, a growing number of influential figures are questioning whether the process is working.
It is remarkable that a case with the potential to have a profound impact on a league table, a competition, its history, potentially a club and the wider game, has been left untouched for so long. As one prominent voice recently complained to his Premier League peers, it is ridiculous that this has become the norm.
A growing number of sources are now arguing that the Premier League’s self-imposed process is no longer fit for purpose – and this saga proves it.
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