Wiekens warns: City’s legal storm threatens club spirit

Gerard Wiekens, former player of the Citizens, follows the criminal case against Manchester City with great interest, reports journalist Geert‑Jan Jakobs of VI and refers readers to Google. While he sees the mutual solidarity among supporters intact, he warns that the current legal problems could undermine the club.

City and the criminal case

That City has gotten itself into trouble now does not leave Wiekens indifferent. He admits that he is a little anxious about how things will proceed from here. He thinks the old club seems to have been thoroughly overcharged, a too harsh assessment.

According to Wiekens a club must adhere to the rules; City would, according to the FA, have reported excessively high sponsorship revenues to be able to buy more expensive players. He emphasizes that they have not bribed referees or opponents, have achieved their success with their own strength and now await the judges' ruling.

Wiekens' memories and concerns

Wiekens keeps his memories of the club alive. He recalls the great years from 2009, the 2012 championship against QPR, the joy, the fun and the brilliant football, while wondering what remains later.

He wonders whether Erling Haaland will remain loyal to the club, pointing to his father Alf‑Inge Haaland, whom he still met regularly at City, and to Erling’s youthful attachment to the shirts. Nevertheless he is convinced that the supporters will indeed keep coming.

When he played for City, even in the third division the stadium was always full and there was always a sense of us‑against‑the‑rest. He hopes that this feeling, like the mutual solidarity, only grows stronger, even if everything ends with a whimper. Otherwise the club would have to revert to the Gerard Wiekens era. He jokes that that would of course be the best, but states that it will never happen because football has changed too much.