据24直播网9月30日的报道，The Athletic分析称，曼城的不当行为对利物浦的打击最为严重，任何补偿都无法真正弥补这一损失。
July 2019 saw Liverpool's club president, Werner, reflecting in the office of Fenway Park on the night of the Champions League victory in Madrid just seven weeks prior. At that time, after nearly nine years at the helm, Fenway had secured only one League Cup, yet Jurgen Klopp's squad emerged as champions. The 2-0 triumph over Tottenham in the final not only alleviated the ache of missing the Premier League title by a single point but also marked a significant achievement for Liverpool, who amassed 97 points. This tally remains the highest points total for the English top-flight's runners-up, with a remarkable record of just one defeat in 38 matches. However, Manchester City's 14-game winning streak at the end of the season saw them lift the championship trophy.
在讨论是否构成一场公正竞赛的议题中，四个月前，英超官方宣布对曼城涉嫌违反财政公平原则的行为启动了正式的审查程序。面对关于对规则执行是否公正的疑问，沃纳向The Athletic透露了他的担忧之情：“确实存在担忧。我们坚定地拥护财政公平政策，这一点并非秘密。一旦发现违规行为，我们期待看到相应的惩罚措施。所有人都应当以极高的透明度来遵守这些规定。”
Upon revealing a groundbreaking 400 million pound sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways in July 2011, Liverpool's principal owner, Henry, inquired on Twitter, "What was the losing bid?" At the time, Etihad was helmed by the brother of Manchester City's owner, Mansour, who was also the chairperson. The European Football Association's pledge that clubs should live within their means, a cornerstone of Fenway's 2010 acquisition of Liverpool, was seemingly disregarded. Henry commented in 2014, "Our greatest challenge has been the disregard for the financial fair play regulations, which has made competition exceedingly arduous."
In 2014, when Manchester City was penalized with a mere fine of 17 million euros for failing to comply with the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, Fenway expressed his disappointment. Fast forward to February 2020, when UEFA imposed a two-season ban on Manchester City's participation in the Champions League, Fenway saw this as UEFA finally showing its teeth. However, just five months later, the international sports arbitration court overturned the ban, leaving Fenway feeling disheartened and believing that Manchester City had escaped through technicalities. Klopp, at the time, commented, "I think it's not a good day for football. FFP is meant to safeguard teams and competition; otherwise, the wealthiest individuals or nations could act with impunity."
在2021-2022赛季，利物浦在仅差一分的微弱劣势下，未能超越曼城，屈居联赛第二。自2023年2月起，曼城因涉嫌100多项违规行为而陷入漫长的调查之中，这一过程使得芬威集团的高层管理人员感到愈发不满。
在上周五，据The Athletic报道，曼城在大多数指控上几乎全部胜诉。周一，英超联赛正式确认了这一裁决。据调查报告显示，曼城在2009至2018年期间与商业合作伙伴签订了多份“虚假合同”，通过“夸大收入、低估成本”的手段，累计金额超过9亿英镑。这一结果正如芬威集团所预料的。
在所有俱乐部中，利物浦承受的伤病打击最为严重。尽管在克洛普执教期间，他们两次与冠军失之交臂，并在2015-2016赛季的联赛杯决赛中败北，但更早的2013-2014赛季，他们在罗杰斯的带领下，在赛季终章时刻被曼城抢走了冠军奖杯。2013年夏天，曼城在转会市场上投入了大约9100万英镑，签下了五名新援，这一数字是同期利物浦支出的两倍以上。若曼城当时遵守规定，并未拥有如此深厚的阵容，那么杰拉德能否实现他梦寐以求的冠军荣耀，或许将是一个未知数。
在曼城面临上诉失败、其夺冠年份荣誉可能空缺的情况下，有人认为这将是英超诚信受损这一丑闻的完美象征，正如环法赛事对阿姆斯特朗的处理方式。尽管指控仅限于2009至2018年，但曼城后续获得的荣誉与其过往行为紧密相连。在考虑前瞻性惩罚时，大规模扣分甚至降级都是可能的结果，考虑到曼城在调查中的不合作态度，委员会几乎没有余地减轻惩罚。利物浦是众多向曼城发出法律通知、保留追索权的英超俱乐部之一，但无论未来能否追回多少，都无法弥补利物浦所失去的一切。