Punishing Manchester City fans would be a huge step towards fairness in football

Prosecuting financial malfeasance on an industrial scale will define the path which governs the top flight for the next few years, if not longer. The 114 charges brought against City 's owners marks an existential juncture for the English game.

All options remain on the table as viable punishments for Enzo Mareca 's side. They risk point deductions, seeing titles won voided and even expulsion from the Premier League.

Any expectations of outward contrition on a first return to action since the independent commission delivered its damning verdict, when the message from within Eastlands' corridors of power is one of maintained innocence, were incredibly naive. Their comprehensive win over Liverpool, at the place Pep Guardiola famously described as 'a bugger of a ground', carried an abundant message both on and off the pitch.

Their argument was, and remains, that the club is in fact the wronged party; that nine years of financial doping was a necessary evil to ensure they could realistically compete against a 'red cartel' of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Noel Gallagher, who stood among the away allocation on Merseyside, was also quick to make a case that fans should not feel the weight of arbitrational action.

The Oasis co-founder insisted the misdeeds carried out in their boardroom were 'nothing to do with the supporters or the players', pushing the envelope for clemency to those who witnessed a history which could soon be expunged from the record books but not their memories. After all, City fans did not ask to be festooned with a scintilla of Abu Dhabi's eye-watering wealth since 2008; they have simply been swept along for the ride after decades in the doldrums.

Unfortunately, contempt for the conmen and compassion for the conned, while an admirable sentiment, does not translate to football. Fandom is an entirely one-sided transaction.

Whatever happens behind the scenes can, and does, ultimately impact those at the bottom of the food chain most. New signings, managerial changes and price hikes are all passed on to those supposedly still considered to be the game's lifeblood.

Should the club's appeal fail, the fallout will invariably hit their supporters hardest. It won't be Sheikh Mansour that suffers the indignity of potentially retracing the steps from their infamous trip to York City in what is now League One.

He is equally well-insulated from repeated taunts of 'cheats' which reverberated around Anfield and will soundtrack every visit to grounds in whatever division they ultimately find themselves playing. But while Man City fans will be understandably aggrieved by whatever punishment follows, they have a chance to represent a first step towards fairness in domestic football.