It's now been a little under a month since news broke that Manchester City had been found guilty by an independent commission of 114 of the 115 charges that had been filed against them for financial wrongdoings in the period of 2009 to 2018.
During that time period, the club's ownership had cleverly disguised large portions of their revenue streams to seemingly fall within financial fair play rules and regulations.
Intense debate has been circulating throughout the footballing world as to what the punishment should be for the club ranging from major fines and perpetual points deductions for seasons to come to stripping every single piece of silverware they won during the affected period.
The club's appeal still has to go through its legal proceedings, but the severity of what they've been found guilty of is unlike anything else the sport has ever seen.
On the pitch, it was business as usually for City as they claimed a vital 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield, thanks largely in part to Ryan Gravenberch being sent off midway through the second half.
They were, however, humbled by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League at the Etihad, as Luis Enrique's side came away 4-2 victors with Pep Guardiola in attendance in what was supposed to be a show of support for his former club.
There was still a sense of galvanization amongst City's squad and their fans with the way they fought back from going into the halftime break 3-0 down to ultimately finish 4-2, but it just feels bizarre.
Everything the club does right now feels a bit like it's in a state of purgatory as the process gets drawn out off the pitch, and for those that aren't City fans, it's certainly an odd thing to see the way a lot of City fans are taking this in stride.
Everything begs the question, though; how should the current players be feeling about everything? Did half of them even know any better, or did they just want to come and play for a top club?
Rio Ferdinand, Ander Herrera Have Their Say
Rio Ferdinand recently sat down to speak with former Manchester United teammate Ander Herrera for his Rio Meets show and the two had their say I how they're feeling about City's legal proceedings and what it means for the players at the club right now.
For Herrera, he said he would have a bone to pick with the ownership of the club if he was a City player right now:
"If I was a Man City player, I would be angry with my owners. I would be angry with my board, because they have put all that I have done during these years in doubt," Herrera stressed.
"I'm 100% agreeing with you," Ferdinand replied.
The pair of former United players also both agreed that City do not deserve to win the Premier League title this season, even if they're at the top of the table come May 30th of next year.
Lisandro Martinez Also Proves Players Can Have Their Say
City's local rivals have not been faring too well so far this season. Manchester United are in 13th place in the Premier League after one win, three draws, and two losses from their six matches thus far, have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup, and lost their second Champions League match of the season to Atletico Madrid. Salt was rubbed into the wound in the Spanish capital when Lenny Yoro was sent off in the 74th minute which Ferdinand called 'soft'.
After the loss to Atletico, United defender Lisandro Martinez did not hold back venting his frustration at the way the season has panned out thus far - matters weren't made any better having lost 2-0 to Atletico despite not playing that poorly away from home.
During his fiery rant, the Argentine international had a go at United's ownership and board, claiming that they do not offer proper backing and investment to bring in top quality players and also stating the squad is not currently at a Champions League level.
As per prominent journalist Andy Mitten, the defender has met with manager Michael Carrick and the club's leadership, and he's since apologized for his post-match outburst in Madrid. However, a lot of United fans and former players alike that have been beyond frustrated with the team's performances so far this season have lauded Martinez for freely speaking his mind, saying aloud what a lot of them have been thinking for quite some time.
This goes to show that players do have a lot of power within a certain boundary, and contrasting to what the situation currently is at City, as Herrera alluded to, current and former City players could have every right to be furious with the club's ownership and speak out against them. Context, of course, is very different between the Martinez situation at United and what's going on at City behind the scenes while they're winning all of their matches bar PSG in the Champions League.
Even still, Martinez having his say is a blueprint of sorts for what could be said about current or past players from City as both Ferdinand and Herrera share their vicarious alignment of anger for.
