The Man City scandal is the biggest in sporting history

As all of the continent's biggest clubs gathered in Copenhagen, their executives couldn't help trying to catch a glimpse of one man. Ferran Soriano, in his usual role representingManchester Cityat the European Football Clubs general assembly, was described as looking like "a walking statue".

Some counterparts even felt that he was repeatedly putting headphones in his ear to appear to be on the phone, so he wouldn't haveto engage in awkward conversation. Whether true or not,Soriano had arguably said enough.

While the rest of the worldwas by then poring overthePremier Leagueindependent commission'sexcoriating decision in the City case, the club had issued a video to staff in response. It somehow went even further than the official statement,which had remarkably describedthe panel's "opinion" as "unsafe".

Many executives noted that the Catalan wasn't blinking, as they themselves could barely lower their own eyebrows. Sources also state that, despite this attempt at reassurance, many staff were "perplexed" by the video.

It isn't hard to see why. The aggression of this response, after theemphatic nature of the Premier League's decision, seemed too extreme a digression from English sporting culture.

Soriano (left) and Man City's response has been described by 'deluded' in football circles(PA) Even on social media, it was evident that many fans were properly angry at the ownership for the first time. It was as if this was tapping into something deeper.

The club's name was being blackened, toxified. One description of the response was already doing the rounds in football circles.

It wasn't "defiant", as City might have imagined, but "deluded". There didn't even seem to be the same fear of City's immense legal might.

Was it really £100m worth of fees for… this? When will the irrefutability of the comprehensive body of evidence become apparent?