‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying’
Zafir Nagji, Contributor
World Wrestling Entertainment legend Eddie Guerrero’s iconic theme song gave the sporting world one of its most iconic quotes of all time, exposing the dark side of the highest level of competitive sports:
“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”
The sports world was reminded of this often, as two of the most scandalous financial fiascos in professional sports history were exposed: one involving one of Canada’s most beloved basketball players and another involving the seventh-most valuable soccer club in the world.
Kawhi not?
Last year, acclaimed journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre found evidence that suggested the Los Angeles Clippers unlawfully paid Kawhi Leonard more than they were allowed under the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through no-work contracts with multiple companies, including Aspiration—a tree-planting company under investigation for federal tax fraud.
The NBA delayed its investigation during the 2025-26 season, despite Torre continuing to reveal the information from his own investigative work on his podcast, “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” Over the course of summer 2026, the NBA deepened its assessment of the situation, finding the Clippers guilty. Leonard and his uncle, who is also his agent, were also found guilty of negotiating the illicit deals.
Leonard was fined $700,000, and his uncle was banned from conducting business and/or engaging with NBA teams, players and entities for five years, but the Clippers franchise received the most severe punishment of all.
They lost five first-round draft picks and were fined $30 million, and owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension from all NBA activities. Their presidents of basketball operations also received suspensions, and the team is now subject to a five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the NBA.
The Clippers had also agreed to a trade with the Toronto Raptors before the NBA concluded its investigation, sending Leonard back to the Canadian team with which he won his last championship in 2019. The league suspended the trade during the investigation but approved it after completing its assessment.
Leonard signed a two-year, $115 million max contract extension in Toronto immediately after the trade and now has a chance to bring the Raptors their second-ever NBA title, while the Clippers have one of the grimmest futures of any NBA franchise as they serve their punishment.
By enacting such a severe consequence in their verdict, the NBA sent a message to other teams trying to subvert the salary cap, but with Leonard still being allowed to go to his desired next team and receiving one of the most lucrative contracts in the entire league upon his arrival, what’s to stop other players from trying to strong-arm their way into dubious contract agreements moving forward?
Red card, yellow card, credit card
Many soccer fans identify Manchester City by their near-unprecedented ability and willingness to acquire and pay high-value soccerers. However, the Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) Financial Fair Play regulations (FFP) were designed to prevent teams from spending more than they earned in light of massively rich foreign ownership groups spending exorbitant sums to acquire multiple high-value talents, which made City’s ability to do that seem suspicious.
In 2017, Man City fell victim to a phishing scam, leaking files to a Portuguese hacker that were later investigated and revealed by the European Investigative Collaboration (EIC), which claimed that the documents showed “we can do what we want” business practices.
UEFA conducted its own investigation and found City guilty of breaching its FFP rules, banning the team from participating in the UEFA Champions League for two years, but the club successfully overturned the ban by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The English Premier League (EPL) also has its own set of rules, similar to UEFA’s FFP regulations, called the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). At the same time as UEFA’s investigations, the EPL conducted their own inquiry into City’s possible subversions, and in 2023, the club was charged with 54 counts of failure to provide accurate financial information, 14 counts of failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments, seven counts of breaching the Premier League’s PSR regulations, five counts of breaching UEFA’s FFP regulations, and 35 counts of failure to cooperate with league investigations.
In September of this year, the club was found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges, and while the Premier League Judicial Panel is determining an appropriate punishment, Manchester City has denied all wrongdoing and intends to appeal the decision.
Money is the root of all…
In some cases, teams cheat the rules and regulations of sports, such as when Ferrari cheated Formula One’s fuel-flow regulations to produce extra horsepower. In other cases, teams illegally spy on their competitors to obtain secrets and gain a competitive advantage—see Canada’s soccer team spying on its competitors at the Paris Olympics with drones.
However, the Leonard case and the Manchester City case, among other dollar-based debacles, are a reminder that in professional sports, cheating doesn’t always happen on the field of play. With so much money involved in pro sports, much of the cheating happens in boardrooms and offices, with exorbitantly wealthy owners and investors adopting Guerrero’s sentiments as they try to maximise their competitive advantages and returns on investment by cheating the financial systems that govern their respective sports.
The NBA’s harsh verdict on the LA Clippers sent a stern message to the rest of the league’s owners, urging them to stop committing similar violations. All that remains now is to see if the EPL and UEFA follow a similar philosophy as they decide an appropriate punishment for Manchester City, potentially setting a global precedent to prevent financial cheating in professional sports.
World Wrestling Entertainment legend Eddie Guerrero’s iconic theme song gave the sporting world one of its most iconic quotes of all time, exposing the dark side of the highest level of competitive sports:
“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”
The sports world was reminded of this often, as two of the most scandalous financial fiascos in professional sports history were exposed: one involving one of Canada’s most beloved basketball players and another involving the seventh-most valuable soccer club in the world
Kawhi not?
Last year, acclaimed journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre found evidence that suggested the Los Angeles Clippers unlawfully paid Kawhi Leonard more than they were allowed under the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through no-work contracts with multiple companies, including Aspiration—a tree-planting company under investigation for federal tax fraud.
The NBA delayed its investigation during the 2025-26 season, despite Torre continuing to reveal the information from his own investigative work on his podcast, “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” Over the course of summer 2026, the NBA deepened its assessment of the situation, finding the Clippers guilty. Leonard and his uncle, who is also his agent, were also found guilty of negotiating the illicit deals.
Leonard was fined $700,000, and his uncle was banned from conducting business and/or engaging with NBA teams, players and entities for five years, but the Clippers franchise received the most severe punishment of all.
They lost five first-round draft picks and were fined $30 million, and owner Steve Ballmer received a one-year suspension from all NBA activities. Their presidents of basketball operations also received suspensions, and the team is now subject to a five-year compliance and monitoring program overseen by the NBA.
Leonard signed a two-year, $115 million max contract extension in Toronto immediately after the trade and now has a chance to bring the Raptors their second-ever NBA title, while the Clippers have one of the grimmest futures of any NBA franchise as they serve their punishment.
Red card, yellow card, credit card
Many soccer fans identify Manchester City by their near-unprecedented ability and willingness to acquire and pay high-value soccerers. However, the Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) Financial Fair Play regulations (FFP) were designed to prevent teams from spending more than they earned in light of massively rich foreign ownership groups spending exorbitant sums to acquire multiple high-value talents, which made City’s ability to do that seem suspicious.
In 2017, Man City fell victim to a phishing scam, leaking files to a Portuguese hacker that were later investigated and revealed by the European Investigative Collaboration (EIC), which claimed that the documents showed “we can do what we want” business practices.
UEFA conducted its own investigation and found City guilty of breaching its FFP rules, banning the team from participating in the UEFA Champions League for two years, but the club successfully overturned the ban by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The English Premier League (EPL) also has its own set of rules, similar to UEFA’s FFP regulations, called the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). At the same time as UEFA’s investigations, the EPL conducted their own inquiry into City’s possible subversions, and in 2023, the club was charged with 54 counts of failure to provide accurate financial information, 14 counts of failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments, seven counts of breaching the Premier League’s PSR regulations, five counts of breaching UEFA’s FFP regulations, and 35 counts of failure to cooperate with league investigations.
In September of this year, the club was found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges, and while the Premier League Judicial Panel is determining an appropriate punishment, Manchester City has denied all wrongdoing and intends to appeal the decision.
Money is the root of all…
In some cases, teams cheat the rules and regulations of sports, such as when Ferrari cheated Formula One’s fuel-flow regulations to produce extra horsepower. In other cases, teams illegally spy on their competitors to obtain secrets and gain a competitive advantage—see Canada’s soccer team spying on its competitors at the Paris Olympics with drones.
However, the Leonard case and the Manchester City case, among other dollar-based debacles, are a reminder that in professional sports, cheating doesn’t always happen on the field of play. With so much money involved in pro sports, much of the cheating happens in boardrooms and offices, with exorbitantly wealthy owners and investors adopting Guerrero’s sentiments as they try to maximise their competitive advantages and returns on investment by cheating the financial systems that govern their respective sports.
The NBA’s harsh verdict on the LA Clippers sent a stern message to the rest of the league’s owners, urging them to stop committing similar violations. All that remains now is to see if the EPL and UEFA follow a similar philosophy as they decide an appropriate punishment for Manchester City, potentially setting a global precedent to prevent financial cheating in professional sports.
Manchester City is one of the most beloved football clubs in the world with an estimated
global following of 390 million fans. Photo courtesy of Instagram / @mancity
