Man City’s fans must confront the blind loyalty they’ve nurtured
How should Man City fans feel? The article argues that the notion of always supporting your club has become an implicit call to blind loyalty, especially after the scale of the club’s cheating was confirmed. It challenges supporters to reconsider their unquestioning devotion.
The old "us‑versus‑them" tribalism once pitted football fans against non‑fans, a dynamic that politicians could exploit. Today the divide is fan‑versus‑fan, with rivalries taking centre stage while any collective goodwill has faded. Rivalry remains, but the idea of football as an altruistic, banter‑free zone is now a relic.
Fans are losing that shared experience and retreating deeper into their own club‑based tribe. The decline of traditional media and the rise of algorithm‑curated, club‑specific content have accelerated the split, even if they are not the sole cause.
Echo chambers and curated content
Social feeds now serve up only what each supporter wants to hear, reinforcing existing biases. Whether the filter is applied manually or by an algorithm, the result is a narrower, more partisan view of the game that deepens division.
Scandal exposes blind support
The behaviour of prominent Man City fans, pundits and former players has laid bare the problem since the cheating scandal’s enormity was confirmed. The club’s owners cheated, lied, and then denied both the cheating and the denial, seeking to evade responsibility for as long as possible.
Ironically, the very supporters who should be most outraged have largely stayed silent. When the top ten clubs most affected by the scandal were listed, Man City unsurprisingly topped the list, yet many fans continue to defend the club.
Supporters of other clubs feel robbed of their biggest moments – for example, Stoke missed an FA Cup final against Man City, denying them a historic chance. The anger is palpable, but the deepest disappointment should be felt by Man City’s own fanbase.
The inevitable punishment, likely unprecedented in scale, will set the club back years on the field. Almost twenty years of triumphs could be formally or informally erased, and even without official title stripping, the achievements will never again be regarded as legitimate.