20 years later, Man City proved Arsene Wenger right

Arsene Wenger never needs to be 'proven right'; he knows more about football than anyone could ever learn. However, as clowned as he was for bringing what he coined 'financial doping' to the forefront, he absolutely deserves a moment to say 'I told you so.'

Back in the 2000s, Wenger was one of the first figureheads in English football to resist a dystopian future of the sport. At the time, Chelsea were the club that was benefiting from financial unfair play, and Wenger was spot on to protest.

""I feel yes, because they (Chelsea) are a financially doped club.

They have enhancement of performances through financial resources which are unlimited. For me, it's a kind of doping because it's not in any way linked to their resources.""
Arsene Wenger

Fast forward two decades, and it's even clearer to see Wenger's point.

Man City proved Arsene Wenger right

Specifically referencing Roman Abramovich's Chelsea, Wenger said that they were a financially doped club. What he meant by this is that Chelsea had an enhancement of performance through financial resources which are unlimited - the same could not be said for every club at the time, especially Arsenal.

Later on in the 2010s, Wenger expanded his point beyond Chelsea. He agreed with his former self, but he made it clear that the problem was far more widespread than simply Chelsea.

""The (Financial Fair Play) rules have been created. I am convinced that at the moment there is an evolution to be made in the way the rules are built up at the moment, but they are what they are and you have to respect them.

People that don't respect them and are caught by trying to get around the rules in more or less legal ways have to be punished. If it is proven that this has been done on purpose you cannot let that [go] unpunished.""
Arsene Wenger

The term 'financial doping' is a term that is widely attributed to Wenger, and he was best-placed to coin the term. Wenger's Arsenal won the Premier League without losing a single game - no team can say the same. He didn't achieve it through unfair financial resources; Arsenal lived on the money they produced. Why was he expected to do that, but other clubs were not? It simply makes no sense.

The difference between Man City and Chelsea, other than the scale through which Man City have cheated, is that Chelsea came clean and held themselves accountable. The same cannot be said for Man City.

As fans, we deserve transparency. At times, Wenger was probably a little bit too transparent with how Arsenal were run, but I never remember following my club blindly. I always knew how Arsenal was being operated, whether I agreed with it or not. Again, the same cannot be said for Man City.

Wenger never called out Man City directly, at least not to public knowledge. However, he doesn't need to. Anybody who is a genuine football fan will resonate with what Wenger is saying: the outrage against Man City's 114 guilty charges only brings Wenger's comments to the forefront.

Wenger was fighting the right cause all along, even if he was constantly mocked for complaining at the time. Every football fan should be outraged by this, and yet again, Wenger was on the right side of history.

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