We’re all into ‘sustainable’ models. Food, business, natural resources, everything needs to be ‘sustainable’. They make sense. And even though coal is not in any way sustainable, nor a particularly good thing to burn from an atmospheric point of view, try telling the Poles that. Or the Indians. Or the Chinese.

But are Manchester City ‘sustainable’? A more interesting question. Except for the 97 people who just read that and thought ‘oh football!!’ and went back to sleep.

Because the Financial Fair Play rules (which no-one can understand and have never been put to any good use) are finally being dusted off and brought to bear on that most… Northern, of oil-funded, grass roots football teams. They actually represent everything that is pretty abhorrent about our national game. And yet to watch, they are the dream. Every football club would want to play with such style, such skill, such grace. But they can’t afford the players. Because to buy and pay the ludicrous salaries of world superstars means that your business model is no longer ‘sustainable’. You spend more than you reap. Which in any other business, or for most other teams, would mean bankruptcy, receivership, death.

Not at Manchester City. Nor even at Chelsea who currently have 100 players out on loan all over the world. I’ve got one to wash my car. Mow the lawn.

But now some emails have come to light over the Man City ‘sponsorship’ by Etihad Airlines. The financial details of which have always been a little… sketchy. Particularly as the club are owned by Sheikh Mansoor, who also ‘owns’ Abu Dhabi, and Etihad is ‘state-owned’ and hence is, in practical terms, owned by the good Sheikh. Is there a good Sheikh? I’ve never met one.

The emails show that in 2015 ‘Etihad’ paid its ‘sponsorship’ of 67.5 million quid. But the Sheikh said that the airline would actually only pay 8 mil and his own company would sort out the rest.

Which is precisely what the FFP rules were there to eliminate. The fact that clubs can ridiculously overspend and some overseas billionaire can ‘sustain’ his vanity project by just coughing up the shortfall. Books balance, we have the best club in the world. It’s that hated model used at PSG too.

But now Man City may get banned from the Champions League. Which will be totally fantastic should Spurs only manage to finish 5th this season. And more importantly (WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT???) it would send a loud and clear message.

Southampton, Watford, Burnley, possibly even Spurs, and lots of other top flight teams, can’t compete with unlimited funding. Therefore the league is unbalanced and unfair. Unless Mansour bribes UEFA. Not a totally unprecedented scenario.

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx