is tanking=cheating?

[kynan]

people need to remember that, IRL manipulation of any match outcome is not allowed in any football match regardless of the reason

While that is true, it should also be noted that promotion in England is something that a club can choose to turn down. Whitley Bay for example continually turn down promotion as do West Auckland Town from the Northern League because they believe losing out on playing in the FA Trophy, added with increased traveling costs would put both clubs in trouble with going bust.

On the other side of that coin, 5 years ago Durham City won promotion from the Unibond North into the Unibond Premier and were then told by the football association that if they got promoted again they wouldn't be allowed to go into the Conference due to playing on an artificial pitch. As a result their main sponsor pulled out and all their players left the club to play for other teams. Instead of spending to stay in the league Durham deliberately decided to play collage kids for the season, to save on wages and to take relegation and regroup the year after. Kettering did a similar thing a year later, leaving the Conference National, while teams like Darlington and Chester have pulled out from leagues too to cut running costs - with the latter two reforming as new clubs the following season.

To try and say "this is what happens in real life" and use that as a reason why people shouldn't put weaker sides out in this game is just flawed. Only 2 seasons ago in the Premiership Reading put a weak side out against one of the top teams, as they had a relegation 6 pointer 3 days later with another club. If a team qualifys for the Champions League with a game to spare they put out a second string (even happens in the World Cup where the better players are rested), or if a big team is playing a smaller one in the FA Cup the big names often sit out. The league cup, the Paint Trophy and at Non League level, the County Cups, often see second elevens played as part of "squad rotation". The argument being is if a player is registered with the club they can play in any game in any position.


This is just a game. The user can play what ever formation he wants, with as many players out of position. It's not cheating in my opinion unless they have more than one team in the league and they deliberately throw games against themselves.