The Premier League has a worrying new problem created by the Man City scandal

In the moments after thePremier Leaguefinally. Actually, they could almost hear it.

Some of the most prominent figures were now, finally,able to discuss the case. For someone like chief executiveRichard Masters, it is an extraordinary pressure: to be among the few people on the planet to have knowledge of a casethe world was obsessed with.

You could almost sense the release in his commentsin the Premier League's statement. This one is arguably the most fundamental.

The Premier League now has to get on with its raison d'etre of actually playing matches amid the greatest uncertainty it's ever faced. Worse, we have no idea whether many results will have the same meaning by the end of the season.

After those, everything was speculative, just one of many possibilities. Manchester City might well overturn this in the appeal process but, right now, they are guilty of charges that are near certain to at least bring significant points deductions.

Almost as relevant as those tangible effects, however, are the emotional effects. Some feel they may struggle to "even be in the same boardroom".

City and the Premier League nevertheless have to proceed with trying to play games as if everything was normal, but in the most abnormal circumstances. Man City's games will likely be played amid farcical scenes(PA) As one senior source says, "I don't think people have got their heads around how much of a farce it's going to be.

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Another who has made significant decisions on regulation adds: "Every game now has an asterisk." We will get a profound sense of this in the first weekend back, which also brings a match that may well be the season's most significant. The fixture list has always had an amusing capacity for throwing up the most narratively fitting game in the midst of a huge story.

And there are none bigger than this.