Time to answer 115 questions over whether Man City title wins stink | OneFootball

"If you're into your data, it's the most competitive title race ever," said Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, in a pitch-side interview from Emirates Stadium ahead of Sunday's final round of fixtures.

Masters was likely referring to the average gap between the top two — just 1.51 points across the season, the lowest in Premier League history — but, for most observers, the competitiveness of the title race felt like a mirage once Arsenal and Liverpool had lost at home on April 14.

Manchester City, to no one's surprise, took full advantage, winning their final nine matches by two clear goals to clinch a fourth consecutive championship.

Somewhat fittingly, the drama and tension of the final day lasted barely two minutes for Masters and everyone else at Arsenal, as news of Phil Foden's 79-second opener for City filtered through.

There are 115 reasons why Richard Masters was at Arsenal rather than Man City on Sunday

There was a brief moment when Arsenal fans believed they were back in contention, as a rumour spread that West Ham had equalised at the Etihad but, like the title race itself, it was an illusion. No one seriously expected City to falter.

Which begs the question why Masters was at Arsenal rather than City in the first place? And there is, of course, a very good reason. Or 115 very good reasons.

In staying away from City, Masters avoided the embarrassing scenario of having to present the trophy to a club which has been charged with 115 breaches of Premier League regulations. City robustly deny any wrongdoing but, as the situation neatly illustrates, the champions have become a major problem for the Premier League, both from a PR and sporting standpoint.

Man City celebrate a fourth title in a row

AP

Putting aside that the state-backed dominance has turned the English top flight into the most predictable major league in Europe, City have been racking up honours at an unprecedented rate when they may have cheated on an industrial scale in the recent past.

How can City's success ever hope to be redressed if the club is eventually found guilty?

We are potentially living through the era of the permanent asterisk, a period of our game's history which is at risk of forever being muddied because it was dominated by a club which was later found to have broken a catalogue of rules.

It must have been a small relief for the Premier League that Everton and Nottingham Forest avoided relegation after being hit with mid-season points deductions for financial breaches, but any accusations of double standards would feel small fry against the damage to the competition's reputation if City are found guilty.

Until we have a resolution, every City success is tainted, and the entire Premier League by association

The alleged offences took place from 2009 to 2018, the period when the club's Abu Dhabi ownership was laying the foundations for its current success, so it is misguided to suggest — as Alan Shearer has done this week — that the unresolved charges have no bearing on this year's championship.

Until we have a resolution, every City success — and they compete in the FA Cup Final this weekend — is tainted, and the entire Premier League by association.

Spare a thought for Jurgen Klopp, who leaves English football still wondering if his Liverpool side twice missed out on the title by a single point because they were competing against cheats. That is the bottom line. The same is true for Arsenal, who have fallen short to City in the last two campaigns.

The probability is that City's six titles in seven seasons would not be re-awarded if they are guilty, and even if their rivals could feel retrospectively vindicated, their moments would be long gone, those seven league titles and counting forever lost, like Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France victories.

Pep Guardiola with club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak

Martin Rickett/PA Wire

To be clear, the situation is also deeply unfair on Pep Guardiola and his players, particularly with the club reportedly aiming to drag out the legal process as long as possible.

The Catalan deserves to be celebrated as one of the greatest coaches in history and his players as great champions.

If City have done nothing wrong and this has all been a terrible slur, it is a shame these questions have lingered over such remarkable competitors, even if it has barely impacted them.

For the sake of English football, clarity is needed, but a hearing into City's case is not expected until October or November, and it may be more than 12 months before a verdict is reached, potentially leaving City with time to win another title before we have the answers.