There’s something I don’t understand about the Manchester City defence. On one hand, we’re told: “We didn’t cheat. We are innocent. Trust Khaldoon.” On the other: “The financial rules prevent smaller clubs from competing with the established elite and need changing.” But Manchester City went from being outside England’s established financial elite to becoming one of the richest and most successful clubs in world football. So which argument are we making? If the ffp/psr rules genuinely made that rise impossible, how did City achieve it while supposedly remaining entirely within those rules?