The 1894 Group, one of Manchester City’s most prominent supporters’ groups, has questioned the impartiality of the process behind the club’s guilty verdict and confirmed it will hold a public forum for supporters once the appeal has been decided.
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The 1894 Group are behind many of the flags and tifos that sweep across the Etihad Stadium on big occasions, the latest of which was unfurled on Saturday as Manchester City edged Ipswich Town 3-2.
That result made it seven straight league victories to begin Enzo Maresca’s reign, the best start for a Premier League manager of all time. As has so often been the case, this time the display came with a message attached.
Alongside the choreography, the supporters’ group issued a statement making their position clear on the ongoing debate over the club’s much-talked-about guilty verdict, questioning the fairness of the process, raising concerns over leaks and laying out how fans intend to make their voices heard.
‘A protectionist set up’
The group opened by invoking a phrase the club itself has used before, calling into question the impartiality of those involved in proceedings and suggesting that some regulations are designed to favour long-established top clubs.
“City have mentioned the ‘tyranny of the majority’ previously,” it said, before nodding to the current mood across the fanbase.
“The current feeling from a majority of fans is that they don’t believe the process is impartial and the constant leaks and speculation highlight this protectionist set up.”
Leaks from a hearing meant to be private
“Non-cooperation has been mentioned however everything was supposed to be NDA’d but the media have been able to talk a lot about a supposedly private hearing,” the statement read.
Clearly, the group feel that there has been a concerning volume of information emerging from proceedings that was supposed to stay behind closed doors - which, in their view, contradicts the scrutiny placed on Manchester City for allegedly refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
‘We don’t need anyone telling us what to do’
Underpinning the group’s message is City’s history of overturning guilty verdicts, as well as a defiant refusal to listen to other fanbases in this instance.
“City fans have seen the club overturn previous judgements too,” the statement continued. “This is really why the City fans are not rushing to conclusions and today’s display reflects the fact we don’t need anyone telling what to do or how to feel.”
The display in question - which was eventually removed by stewards and contained a snippet of lyrics from one of the club’s most enduring chants - came during Saturday’s win over Ipswich, offered up as evidence of a fanbase determined to make up its own mind.
A fans forum after the appeal
Finally, the group confirmed its intention to wait until the appeal process has run its course before assessing the overall feelings of supporters.
“We will be holding a public fans forum with The Citizens Trust after the appeal result is known to see where supporters are at that moment,” the statement added, naming City’s official supporters’ trust as its partner for the event.
It is a patient approach from a supporter base that has spent years defending the club against accusations from both the Premier League and UEFA, as well as scores of rival fans.
Manchester City continue to deny any wrongdoing after an independent commission found them guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules across a nine-season period. The club has appealed the ruling.
However, amidst the furore around the case, the 1894 Group's point is that City’s supporters will reach their own verdict when the moment arrives.
The club will be back in action on Tuesday night as Greek champions AEK Athens travel to the Etihad Stadium for another round of Champions League action.