The news that Manchester City had been found guilty of nearly all the charges they faced of inflating their sponsorship income over a number of years, and failing to cooperate with the subsequent investigation, sent shock waves through the Premier League.
City are appealing, maintaining that there is irrefutable evidence that the decision of the independent commission comprised of some of the legal minds in the UK was faulty.
Meanwhile, their fans remain defiant, celebrating every victory with inflatable bananas as if they did not have a care in the world.
However, although the process still has months to run, news has emerged about the possible punishment that City are facing, and that might wipe some smiles off City faces.
It was never going to be the downright expulsion from the league that some fans of other clubs were demanding, whilst the prospect of them starting again in the National League was always remote.
Instead indications are that the Premier League wants a points deduction so severe that it will ensure they are relegated this season, and then further points deductions that will condemn them to at least two seasons in the Championship.
And that matters. One season in the Championship could have been regarded as something of a special occasion by City fans. There would be unfamiliar opponents, away grounds that many younger supporters had never visited, and the opportunity to celebrate promotion. City could even emerge claiming that adversity had brought everybody closer together.
That would be a difficult prospect for rival fans to stomach.
Nor would relegation necessarily strip City of every advantage. Some leading players would presumably leave, but the training facilities, stadium, academy, and commercial operation would remain. Depending on the departures, even a substantially weakened squad could still be considerably stronger than most Championship opponents.
Further deductions would make the situation less comfortable. Suddenly, winning matches would not necessarily produce a place near the top. A strong start might merely erase a negative balance, while promotion could remain distant even after a succession of victories.
That would create awkward decisions. How many players would accept an uncertain wait for Premier League football? How much would City spend trying to escape? Would replacements sign without knowing whether the club faced one season below the top flight or several?
That potentially would undermine the club’s long-term ambitions, and mean when, and if they return to the Premier League, there is not the imbalance between them and many of the other teams in it.
For those who believe their team was deprived of success by years of City cheating, that would be justice of a kind.
