IF Manchester City beat Arsenal on Sunday, some might say the title race is already pretty much over. And everyone will be able to focus on the really big battle of the season: Man City versus the Premier League. 2 Manchester City's entire squad was auctioned off and the manager banned for life after a match-fixing scandal Credit: PA 2 Man City are currently having troubles with the Premier League Credit: Rex But off-the-field sagas in English football are a tale as old as time and City were at the centre of one of the first big scandals.
After Aston Villa beat them 3-2 in the final match of the 1904-05 season, ending City’s title chances, a fight broke out between Sandy Turnbull and Villa’s Alex Leake. An investigation found that another City player, Billy Meredith, had offered £10 to Leake for Villa to throw the game. The FA banned Meredith for a year and when City refused to pay him, he took revenge.
Read More on Football MAN ALIVE Man City face being expelled from all comps if guilty of alleged rule breaches WAR CRY Prem clubs 'may have to sue City over 115 alleged breaches before case closes' Meredith revealed to the authorities that boss Tom Maley not only had instructed him to offer Leake the bribe but had also overseen a separate scheme of giving illegal payments to City players in excess of the £4-per-week maximum wage. As further details emerged, the club imploded. Maley was banned for life, some club directors were sacked and others received suspensions.
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