Everything’s the Best: The Meaning of Justice or 114 Charges Later

There are a few things I don’t need a regulatory panel to tell me are true:

• Jeff Buckley is a genius

• Arrival is a perfect film

• Daniel Sturridge deserved a song

• Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool deserved to win more

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool deserved to win more

And, of course, I don’t need to hear any affirmations from the same body that delivered “‘good process, lads” into our lexicon to tell me that Klopp’s Reds were among the most formidable Premier League sides ever constructed.

But, sometimes, the universe decides they want to tell you an obvious truth anyway. And so it was on Friday when reports dropped that the Premier League’s years-long investigation into Manchester City‘s financial misdeeds had resulted in the League finding City guilty of 114 out of the 115 charges brought by the League.

This is a stunning revelation. Not only because of the sheer number of supposed violations, but because the timespan within which these violations supposedly took place spans approximately a decade – a decade wherein City’s dominance within the Premier League was forged. A dominance, it’s clear now, was unearned.

It’s easy to understand why the outpouring of reactions from the Liverpool corner of the internet has been loud and, in my opinion, absolutely hilarious. Friday on social media will go down as an all-timer for me, as I saw meme after meme and some outrageously great jokes fly by.

Because this era marked by City’s dominance also coincided with Klopp’s great resurgent Liverpool, I know I felt particularly vindicated. Not necessarily by the verdict itself, but that what I saw on the pitch – two sides that felt well-matched on most days and who brought out the absolute best in each other as rivals – was in fact true: Liverpool could – and maybe should – have had more to show for their time under the German. That City needed to cheat to get one – or three – over on us.

I didn’t need the Premier League to tell me that. But boy does it feel good to know that the feeling I had deep in my bones had some tether to reality.

What this means for history, though, feels much less certain. The League has yet to announce sanctions and, of course, City will undoubtedly appeal any such move. The saga itself isn’t over.

But that hasn’t stopped Reds all over the world from asking what this may mean. Will titles be vacated? Will they be conferred, retroactively, to teams that finished behind City? Will they be relegated?

The question of titles and what justice would look like shifts and changes depending on the fan you speak to. I’m not sure I feel very strongly – aside from the seasons we took them to the final match-day, I don’t feel strongly about getting extra titles. In many ways, I understand the folks who argue that it wouldn’t feel right to be awarded the title retroactively. I sense, too, that Klopp and the players would feel similarly.

More, I find it compelling that while the financial doping means certain players likely wouldn’t have been fielded, that the matches were played and City still came out on top must matter. It doesn’t mean they get to keep the title, but it also doesn’t mean that second place immediately earns that title.

In truth, I’m left more concerned about the fact that these sanctions be punitive enough that they discourage other teams from attempting similar strategies in the future. Mostly because the real threat is to the perceived sense of equality across the League. Similarly to the NBA in their dealings with the Los Angeles Clippers, I would hope the Premier League would send a strong message to ensure that their rules be followed. Not just for the sake of the rules, but because these rules are aimed at ensuring balance and some semblance of competitive fairness.

That next phase is yet to come. In the meanwhile, I’ll keep enjoying the memes and jokes while feeling satisfied (and a little smug) knowing that our Premier League titles came to us the only way that feels good: through grit, determination, and under the guidance of the best coach and manager of his era.