July 26 was the final day of the Premier League season. While Liverpool cemented its first place some time ago, others had to fight tooth and nail until the last whistle.
Football fans had the privilege of watching some truly exciting matches, as the last day was nothing short of dramatic. While teams like Manchester United were fighting for a place in the Champions League next year, Manchester City had battles of its own outside the pitch.
Manchester United met Leicester for their last game of the season. They needed only a point to overtake Leicester’s Champions League spot, but they managed more than that, scoring a 2:0 win and securing third place in the league. Chelsea went up against Wolves and clinched a 2:0 victory as well, earning 4th place and a ticket to the Champions League. This spelled a disappointing end for Leicester, a team that spent 312 days in the top four this season. Their only consolation was Jaime Vardy winning the Golden Boot with 23 scored goals in the season - the oldest player in the Premier League to receive the award.
Manchester City’s second place in the league was certain. On the sports side, their Champions League future was secured. However, Man City is facing legal woes over accusations that they overstated sponsorship revenue to conceal funds the club’s owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was pumping into the club. This went over FFP’s limits, and the violation led to a two-year Champions League ban. Man City appealed and managed to dodge the Champions League ban. This saves the team from a disastrous future that surely would have led to the departure of top players.
What’s left to see is how these huge tournaments will play out in the future. With the shadow of the coronavirus still looming above us all, it’s almost certain that the 2020/2021 Champions League will look significantly different. Even the 2022 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Qatar, probably won’t play out as originally envisioned.
