While most supporters seem to want to get behind the club, some fear actions of the owners will divide fanbase
Nicola Schofield, City fan for more than 40 years: One of my (million) concerns, as someone who feels angry with the owners, is if the owners’ strategy causes a split in the fanbase. I think everyone wants to get behind the club and team, but this is different to the experience of a relegation of the type I experienced in the 90s. We all shared that, and we stood by the club down to League One and as we came back up. This threatens to be messier, with those who may want the owners out (which is its own minefield) to those who will back them all the way. I think ultimately all fans want to ensure our club still exists, but I do worry at divisions this could cause and that might be hard to heal.
Ben, season-ticket holder: I don’t think I have fully processed the news yet. I trusted the club completely and believed every word they said in response to the charges, so this has hit hard. I still think the FFP [financial fair play] rules aren’t fair and never have been. I know that won’t get much sympathy from other fans, and I understand why. Most of them have been waiting for this day for years. Whatever happens, nobody can take the last 15 years away from us. We lived every moment: Agüero in 2012, the centurions, the treble, Istanbul. Those memories are ours and no verdict changes that. Right now I just feel confused. One thing won’t change, though: whatever happens, I’ll still support the team. This is character-building, as my parents used to say to me.
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