City Restitution urged by Jonathan Liew as fans demand change

Jonathan Liew argues that City Restitution should be the priority after Manchester City were found guilty of every Premier League financial charge, noting there are no real precedents and emotions remain raw, yet a shift in ownership models could turn the crisis into an opportunity.

Proposed punitive blueprint

The scheme proposes a 17‑year transfer embargo, effectively preventing Manchester City from registering any new players during that period. Such a lengthy ban would be unprecedented in English football.

It also calls for replaying the entire era with all the original players, restoring the 2009 squad. The revived team would be forced to mount a title challenge under the leadership of Stephen Ireland, Martin Petrov and Richard Dunne.

Force Ferran Soriano to drive a parade bus backwards through Manchester for each major trophy the club has secured. The plan further demands banning the Poznan celebration, or at least making City fans perform it facing forwards.

The backlash erupted in the week after the Premier League verdict, with the Sainsbury’s Instagram account posting a picture captioned “114 unexpected items in the bagging area”. Domino’s Pizza joined the trolling, claiming “irrefutable evidence that pineapple is the best pizza topping”.