Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Manchester City’s unprecedented charges from the Premier League have ignited discussions about potential repercussions, given the club’s significant financial resources and declared intent to contest through extensive legal avenues. While Manchester City maintains a firm denial of all allegations, the scale of the accusations prompts reflection on historical parallels within English football. Although the volume of charges against City appears unique, precedents for major investigations into clubs regarding illicit payments exist in the annals of the sport. Notably, two prior instances within the 150-year history of English football involved probes into alleged unlawful financial conduct, each culminating in profound consequences for the implicated clubs and the broader league framework.
The 1906 Manchester City Scandal
Originally known as Ardwick, the club was a founding member of the Football League’s second division in 1892. Rebranded as Manchester City following financial difficulties in 1893-94, they made a pivotal signing in the summer: Billy Meredith, a prodigious 19-year-old Welsh winger from Northwich Victoria. Within a decade, Meredith ascended to superstardom, propelling City towards becoming a footballing powerhouse. After gaining promotion in 1899, Manchester City clinched the FA Cup in 1904, triumphing 1-0 against Bolton at Crystal Palace, with Meredith securing the decisive goal. The team’s homecoming was met with jubilant celebrations, streets overflowing with supporters, and a brass band serenading the victory parade. This inaugural trophy in City’s history fueled expectations of sustained future success. However, just two weeks later, Football Association officials, Frederick Wall and John Lewis, arrived unannounced at Hyde Road, demanding immediate access to the club’s financial records.
Their exhaustive investigation spanned the entire summer, ultimately uncovering discrepancies suggesting clandestine inducements for newly acquired players, evidenced by missing checks and falsified receipts. The immediate sanctions included a £250 fine (substantial at a time when player wages were capped at £4 weekly), a month-long stadium closure, and suspensions for one player and four directors. Initially perceived as a minor administrative infraction, these findings concealed the seeds of a far more significant crisis.
On the concluding day of the 1904-05 season, a crucial match against Aston Villa could have decided the league title for Manchester City, contingent on Newcastle faltering against Middlesbrough. Despite Newcastle’s 3-0 victory rendering the result inconsequential, City suffered a contentious 3-2 defeat at Villa Park amidst significant crowd disorder. The Football Association promptly launched an inquiry, which swiftly broadened beyond the Villa Park incidents. A stunning verdict arrived in August: Meredith received a season-long ban for allegedly attempting to bribe Aston Villa’s captain, Alec Leake. Meredith vehemently refuted the accusation, claiming the bribe offer was facetious, insinuating he was being unfairly targeted due to his advocacy against the maximum wage policy.
Manchester City ceased Meredith’s salary during his suspension. Despite supplementary income from his Manchester sports shop, Meredith felt betrayed by the club, and reportedly began divulging information about City’s financial operations to the FA. Another probe was initiated in March 1906. It soon became apparent that the practice of disbursing unauthorized wages and bonuses was widespread within the club. By May’s end, the inquiry revealed that a portion of gate revenues was being covertly channeled into private accounts, facilitating illicit payments to players. Meredith himself was earning £6 per week, exceeding the permissible limit by 50%. The official report concluded, “It is now proven that the club had for years systematically broken the rules by very unscrupulous means.”
Seventeen current and former players faced suspension for the remainder of 1906 and substantial £900 fines. Meredith’s individual fine reached £100. Four directors were banned, two permanently, and the club incurred another £250 fine. While widespread knowledge suggested similar practices at other clubs, Manchester City bore the brunt of severe consequences. After consistently finishing in the top five in the preceding three seasons, subsequent seasons saw them plummet to 17th, then 19th, resulting in relegation in 1908-09.
However, Meredith’s saga was far from concluded. Embittered by public criticism and calculating his losses from the scandal at £1,674, he found an unlikely ally in Manchester United. United agreed to compensate his losses upon signing, and the FA sanctioned his back-pay for the suspension period. City, in a fire sale, auctioned their other suspended players at the Queen’s Hotel. Ernest Mangnall, Manchester United’s manager, preemptively secured four players before the auction commenced. The following season, fortified by five ex-City players, Manchester United secured their inaugural league title. Their subsequent FA Cup victory featured a decisive goal by Sandy Turnbull, another former City player, in the final against Bristol City, capitalizing on a rebound from a Meredith shot.
Manchester City’s next league title would not materialize until 1936-37.
The Sunderland “Mr. Smith” Affair
At the onset of World War II, Sunderland, alongside Aston Villa, stood as one of English league football’s most decorated clubs. However, the postwar period saw them decline to renew the contract of their celebrated captain, Raich Carter. Struggling to regain their pre-war eminence, Sunderland embarked on an extravagant spending spree, earning the moniker “Bank of England club.” This aggressive financial strategy culminated in October 1950, when Sunderland shattered the world transfer record, acquiring Welsh center-forward Trevor Ford for £30,000.
Sunderland achieved a fourth-place finish in 1954-55, but succumbed to a familiar pitfall: possessing talented individuals without cohesive team performance. As the 1950s progressed, spending diminished, and performance deteriorated. A home defeat to Wolves on New Year’s Day 1957 left them perilously close to relegation. However, events later that month proved even more damaging.
An anonymous letter from a “Mr. Smith” arrived at the Football League, detailing allegations of illegal player payments. A joint investigation by the League and FA ensued, uncovering a peculiar receipt for £3,000 of straw, annotated with, “Where do I put this?” While winter pitch coverings were standard practice, the quantity appeared exorbitant. League Secretary Alan Hardaker consulted his brother, chairman of Hull rugby league club, who confirmed £3,000 would suffice for 25 years. This revelation intensified the commission’s scrutiny.
The unearthed scheme revealed Sunderland’s practice of over-ordering goods and claiming credit notes upon return, which were then converted to cash for illicit player payments exceeding the £15 weekly wage ceiling. The commission documented £5,450 generated via this method over five years. Like Manchester City decades prior, Sunderland was likely not alone in such practices, but they suffered the unfortunate fate of exposure.
Four directors received bans, two permanently, and the club was levied a then-record £5,000 fine. Manager Bill Murray was fined £200. Several players, including Ford, were suspended, though these bans were overturned following player-initiated lawsuits. Nevertheless, the scandal inflicted severe damage to team morale. Sunderland narrowly avoided relegation, but Murray, reportedly devastated, resigned in the summer and passed away four years later.
The disciplinarian Alan Brown succeeded Murray. A stark contrast, Brown emphasized austerity, relentless effort, and resilience. Heading drills incorporated golf balls. Frozen pitches led to beach training. The subsequent decade saw players actively involved in constructing a new training facility in Washington, contributing manual labor.
Brown’s stringent approach caused friction with established players. Len Shackleton abruptly retired after a single game in the 1957-58 season. Ray Daniel, known for his Robert Mitchum impersonation and vocal talent, was transferred in October. Sunderland’s decline continued, culminating in their first-ever relegation. The club’s trophy cabinet has remained largely bare since, with only one major title addition.
The identity of “Mr. Smith” remains an enigma. His detailed club knowledge suggests either a disgruntled ex-employee or a board member engaged in internal power struggles that escalated detrimentally.
Modern football vastly diverges from its iterations of 70 or 120 years ago. Contemporary elite clubs possess financial safeguards unprecedented in earlier eras, providing an economic buffer against catastrophic collapse. However, should Manchester City be found culpable and face severe sanctions, historical data offers little reassurance of swift recovery. A substantial points deduction, potentially leading to relegation, could profoundly undermine future financial viability. Sheikh Mansour’s ownership commitment could wane. Conversely, adversity might galvanize a resilient resurgence. Exoneration remains a possibility.
Ultimately, if Manchester City is convicted, historical precedents paint a somber picture.