Playing the game

Last Sunday, Manchester City pipped Liverpool to the Premiership title.

Citeh finished with 98 points, one ahead of Liverpool.

Liverpool lost just one game all season, sadly, against Citeh. Citeh are bankrolled by Middle Eastern wealth, this has allowed the club to be transformed from also-rans into Champions and one of Europe's top clubs. They play in a state of the art stadium, and have a huge roster of world class players to choose from, as well as a huge acadamy which sources the brightest and best hopes from all over the world.

Nothing has been left to chance.

Nothing.

Rules on the recruitment of underage players have been broken, as have spending limits.

Citeh are a thing to behold in their pomp; free scoring, playing football at times like the Harlem Globetrotters used to play basketball. With opponents chasing shadows, and Citeh players line up to score, or ping an 80 yard pinpoint pass from defence into attack.

Mere mortal teams don't stand a chance.

I like Citeh, as I know the club they used to be; a basket case, with fans used to living in the shadow of their nearby noisy neighbours. But Citey have become the very thing they used to despise. Liverpool have been equally brilliant, but have fallen one point short. In any other season Liverpool would have been champions, with the exception of last year when Citeh got 100 points.

If it were all done with sourcing unknown talent, buying diamonds on the cheap, and forging them into world beaters. As it was, Citeh, armed with unlimited cash, just went out and bought who they wanted, got the World's best coach, and the result: a lop-sided competition that is everything but a competition of sport. That Liverpool knocked them out of the Champions League is some karma.

We kid ourselves this is sport, that money hasn't changed the game, but clearly it is. Now Citeh are facing a ban on playing in Europe after, apparently, doing some dodgy accounting. They won't be the only team to cheat, nor the last, but sport should always be the winner.