Manchester City faces over 100 charges, and the resulting crisis has dominated football discourse. On September 29, 2024 (early morning UK time), British media outlet The Daily Telegraph published a column examining long-held doubts about Manchester City that Liverpool and other clubs have harbored for years.

John W. Henry rarely speaks publicly these days, but there was a time when his comments as Liverpool's owner sparked considerable controversy.

July 13, 2011 was one such occasion. At the time, Henry posted on social media: "A club's best player should be worth at least 10% of a stadium's naming rights. Wenger said boldly what everyone was thinking."

Fifteen years later, that statement carries a different, far heavier weight. Initially, people dismissed it as a wealthy owner complaining about not getting his way, and there was mention of how angry Manchester City had been at the implication. But has "what everyone was thinking" been confirmed since last Friday?

Henry's post included a link to a newspaper article. The day before, Wenger had expressed shock about what is now recognized as an extraordinary moment in Premier League history, speaking to a small group of journalists in Kuala Lumpur.

On July 8 of that year, Manchester City announced a naming rights agreement for the stadium then known as Eastlands. The partnership with Etihad Airways was valued at £400 million over 10 years—a figure that, by any calculation sports executives could make, simply did not add up.

Admittedly, that figure may not seem so substantial now. After all, Liverpool recently signed a kit sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines starting in 2027 for five years. The Anfield club will receive £300 million from this partnership, a record amount for such deals.

But in the summer of 2011, a £400 million naming rights fee was viewed with deep suspicion by Manchester City's rivals. Wenger stated that he was raising "serious questions about the credibility of Financial Fair Play," calling it "the biggest test" for then-UEFA President Michel Platini.

"For Financial Fair Play to work properly, sponsorship money must be at market rates," Wenger said. "You cannot multiply the price by three or four, because then there is no point in us being bothered by this—everyone should just do as they like. That approach would also be rational, but since the rules have been introduced, they must be followed."

For context, the largest stadium naming rights deals in 2011 were in the United States: the New York Mets' Citi Field (£250 million over 20 years) and the NFL's Houston Texans' Reliant Stadium (£187.5 million over 30 years). Manchester City's deal with Etihad surpassed both.

Henry was a strong advocate for Financial Fair Play, and like everyone at Anfield, he watched events unfold in disbelief. Two days after Wenger and Arsenal departed for China, Liverpool arrived in Malaysia to a warm welcome.

Ian Ayre, the club's CEO at the time, had worked in Kuala Lumpur early in his career, but when everyone sat down at their hotel, this was not a time for nostalgia. There was only one topic of conversation, and looking back at his words 15 years later reveals they have withstood the test of time with surprising prescience.

"Those figures surprised me for a number of reasons," Ayre said. "First, I did not find them logical. In Europe, a football club has never successfully renamed an existing stadium and derived true value from it before."

"For nine years it was called the City of Manchester Stadium, or 'Eastlands,' but now it has been renamed and someone is putting a huge valuation on it. Because no one has ever done that before, it feels a little strange to me."

"In Europe, particularly in football, there is no benchmark for renaming a stadium and generating this level of value. Someone tried. Mike Ashley tried at Newcastle, but nobody calls it that (Sports Direct Arena), and it certainly hasn't generated that kind of value. I was very surprised."

"Second, earlier this year when I spoke at SoccerEx, I participated in a panel discussion about Financial Fair Play. The UEFA officials overseeing that process stated they believed there were appropriate and rigorous processes in place for related-party transactions."

"Are Etihad, Manchester City, and Sheikh Mansour related parties? If so, that is for UEFA to judge. But that is not our concern. We have our own brand here, and we are accountable for it. If this deal is above board, more power to Manchester City. That is good for them. But I believe these questions should be answered by UEFA."

He added: "At Liverpool, we generate revenue in a slightly different way than other clubs. When we choose sponsors, we choose partners. We aim to work with people we believe share our values and will treat the Liverpool name and brand in a particular way."

Henry, who led Fenway Sports Group's acquisition of Liverpool in 2010, envisioned Liverpool progressing in that "particular way" under his stewardship: through data analytics, smart recruitment, and investment of available funds at the right time.

Knowing then that Financial Fair Play might be circumvented and other clubs could sign players that his team could not afford at record transfer fees, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether Henry would still have bought Liverpool.

A year later, in a private room at Fenway Park in Boston, Henry was asked why Liverpool could not sign three players at £25 million each that summer.

"Is UEFA really going to enforce Financial Fair Play?" Henry responded. "We don't know. The trend of spending money doesn't appear to be slowing anywhere, and perhaps the league should look at it."

He continued: "From our perspective, it is absolutely critical that UEFA successfully implement Financial Fair Play. It is a decisive factor. About 50% of European clubs operate at a loss. We're talking about top clubs."

"Of those, 20% are in serious financial difficulty. I think not just the leagues, but FIFA and UEFA as well, need to consider and implement relevant measures. Just because UEFA has its own rules does not mean the Premier League and other leagues cannot adopt similar principles."

"I know the English Football League is enforcing its own rules. That is certainly a very important part of it. Not just for Liverpool, but for football as a whole."

Manchester City has expressed confidence in proving its innocence and has made no comment since last Friday. The Premier League has also declined to comment, as has Henry on this matter. Roberto Mancini, who was Manchester City's manager at the time and now leads the Italian national team, has even stated the matter is "not his concern."

However, events from July 2011 clearly raised concerns among many in football. Henry has not posted on his social media accounts since June 11, 2021. Given recent developments, all eyes are on whether he will choose to break his silence and, if so, what he might say.

AI翻訳。

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