Total farce! Man City playing on without punishment is making the whole Premier League season almost meaningless

City are three points clear of Arsenal at the Premier League summit after six games, and look strong enough to dethrone the champions after a £450 million ($596m) summer transfer splurge, with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Illiman Ndiaye adding even greater depth to what was already a top-quality squad. The trophy presentation in May would be beyond awkward if they pull it off.

It surely cannot be allowed to happen, can it? City’s first four title successes are already being viewed as unlawful, and it’s unthinkable that another could be added to the mix. Three years went by before a judgement was made on City’s financial charges; that should have been plenty enough time for a punishment decision to be made too.

Now fans of the Premier League are stuck in a kind of purgatory, and there’s a serious risk that this season turns out to be a complete waste of time. Arsenal will probably be most frustrated with the current state of play; they’d likely run away with the league if City were out of the picture, and have more in the tank for their latest Champions League bid. It’s difficult to imagine Mikel Arteta staying quiet if they fall short on both fronts.

At the other end of the table, more than a few of the clubs fighting relegation may end up writing off six invaluable points to City that could have made a world of difference. Those in contention for European qualification would have grounds to complain, too. Many more ‘moments’ swiped away.

It has been reported that City’s appeal could be heard from December 14, and the three-member independent board will then have a maximum of 30 days to deliver its final verdict. However, City deployed numerous delaying tactics throughout the investigation into their financial breaches, and legal experts are predicting they will take a similar approach with the appeal.

The original independent panel will meet to determine the sanctions that should be applied to City, with ESPN reporting that the process will run parallel to the appeal, and if everything were to go smoothly, we could get a judgement and implementation of punishments by mid-February. That might just about preserve the spirit of the competition with three months left of the campaign.

Anything longer than that, though, and it’s liable to descend into farce. As of this weekend, watching the Premier League became an exercise in patience and endurance akin to pre-season. The stakes will feel almost non-existent for some time yet, and no meaning will be attached to anything that City achieve. English football’s darkest days are upon us.