Oddly, they likely paid the correct tax on their inflated income so HMRC won't have anything to complain about.
City and Financial Doping | Charged by PL with numerous FFP breaches | Hearing begins 16th September 2024
- Thread starter VanGaalEra
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Oddly, they likely paid the correct tax on their inflated income so HMRC won't have anything to complain about.
Mislead? He’s the face of the whole project. If he was mislead, he’s not too bright.
Well yeah that’s pretty much what I’m saying. My first point is that he will have been told they haven’t done anything wrong.
His brother is deeply involved with them. And he is absolutely not stupid. He is extremely smart. He just doesn't care if the club sticks to the rules. He wants every bit of success there is and doesn't care how it is achieved. He knows they are shady. In my opinion he is the most morally bankrupt person in that club.
Couldn't agree more. He's a liar, a cheat, and a coward.
Misled? He's not some innocent shmuck here. He was a cheat as a player and he's a cheat as a manager.
You're probably about right. Even of the deduction is over only one season and they come straight back up after relegation, the punishment will be too minor.
It is hard to predict the punishment because the level of cheating over such a long period of time is unprecedented in the PL.
Hopefully that's enough to tell the government to feck off if they try to pressurise the PL into doing what they want, should the UAE try to go running to Starmer and co.
Yeah we know he took drugs as a player, he hardly has any scruples about a bit of financial irregularities to get ahead of the pack. He'll feign ignorance of course, he's good at that.
Doing their best to help City arnt they the grimey fckers
"Uefa has warned ministers that England could be excluded from the European Championship it is co-hosting in 2028 over "concerns" that a planned independent football regulator could lead to "government interference" in the sport."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c9wkjnvpy2ko
and from Sky Sports
"In his letter, Theodoris highlights areas of concern including the fact the latest draft of the Football Governance Bill requires clubs to consider the foreign and trade policies of the government."
"Uefa has warned ministers that England could be excluded from the European Championship it is co-hosting in 2028 over "concerns" that a planned independent football regulator could lead to "government interference" in the sport."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c9wkjnvpy2ko
and from Sky Sports
"In his letter, Theodoris highlights areas of concern including the fact the latest draft of the Football Governance Bill requires clubs to consider the foreign and trade policies of the government."
^^ As was discussed in this thread years ago. Seems as though a potential "pickle" might be in the offing; those working hard to protect City's interests now have a curveball to contend with that was surely not a consideration before now.
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The only fitting punishment would be their owners having to sell the club and banned from owning a British football club. If they are found guilty then surely they breach fit and proper ownership rules.
We all know this isn’t going to happen. It took a the Russian war to have Abramovich removed as Chelsea owner. That decision must have involved the UK government yet UEFA weren’t worried about that situation. Why are they so interested now?
The whole thing stinks of corruption. City are already 3 points clear after 4 games. The league is incredibly boring and has been for years. If the Premier League want a successful product City have to be severely punished. I can’t see clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and United accepting a weak decision. If they aren’t punished I expect the threat of a Super League happening again and clubs will accept the fines thrown at them to get away.
We all know this isn’t going to happen. It took a the Russian war to have Abramovich removed as Chelsea owner. That decision must have involved the UK government yet UEFA weren’t worried about that situation. Why are they so interested now?
The whole thing stinks of corruption. City are already 3 points clear after 4 games. The league is incredibly boring and has been for years. If the Premier League want a successful product City have to be severely punished. I can’t see clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool and United accepting a weak decision. If they aren’t punished I expect the threat of a Super League happening again and clubs will accept the fines thrown at them to get away.
Be surprised if this is anything but uefa wanting 'assurances' (i.e. a handout) from the government.
No silver bullet with which to bring city to justice.
It's not happening. uefa cannot coerce anything and England (the other three are expendable) refused entry to Euros would see retaliation with club competitions (city leading the vanguard, Ineos toadying) which uefa can do without.
The government consider the uae's dictatorship a key ally, despite everything, so there is no way pressure will be applied.
They will get off with it. Or, as ever bang to rights and reduced on appeal.
Nominal points deduction or easy fine at worst.
Sorry but I don't buy that. The only way the government can put pressure on the PL is their proposal to regulate the league. With UEFA basically coming out in support of the PL and warning that this would result in them banning clubs, the government haven't got anything to pressure the league with anymore.
Governments will always fall on the side of businesses, their loyalty to the UAE is nothing more than money based. Damaging the country's key sporting export in order to not slightly annoy a country (who, remember, say that they don't actually own the club) would be mad.
Not one of the dozens of pundits had City to finish outside the top 3 in their 'preseason predictions'. I interpreted that as them being instructed not to provoke any drama by giving coverage to City's charges. Surely not everyone in the media thinks they'll get away with it.
One of the more despicable characters in all this is Guardiola. A lot of the charges relate to a time before he was there yet he still comes out shilling for his paymasters. I think he's part of the reason british media are so soft on it too - plenty of these guys believe he walks on water and conduct themselves like giggling schoolgirls around him, as opposed to the way theyve taken on ten hag sometimes.
I cant put into words how little respect I have for this 'club' and everybody associated with them, including players who moved to them. Have very simply destroyed the integrity of the league
I cant put into words how little respect I have for this 'club' and everybody associated with them, including players who moved to them. Have very simply destroyed the integrity of the league
Yeah people need to realise that saying Premier League is no longer a competition isn't melodramatic
Ah, the meejia. Waist till you see the feeding frenzy on them blues once the harpoons go in.
That was my point, if you read it carefully. UEFA are siding with the EPL's clubs in pressuring the proposed moderator, not the EPL itself.
They are doing this maximise UEFA's power over the game's governance. Since the days of the G12 and onto the ESL, UEFA essentially prioritise placating the bigger, high-end clubs.
Reductionism writ large. There will be ideological ambitions in play, also.
Wears an emblem championing democracy whilst working for the UAE...
What's borderline frightening, and an insight into how politics and culture wars become so tribal - is that I've never met a city fan who is willing to even seriously consider their guilt, or go one further and suspect that they are in fact guilty. The fans literally made a banner for their lawyer. One of the most surreal things I've ever seen.
They are wildly, relentlessly defending the integrity of a human rights abusing, criminal harbouring state, as if the very suggestion of them being corrupt is all part of some sort of childish sporting jealousy.
Its actually alarming. Everything about the club and their fans in contemptible.
They are wildly, relentlessly defending the integrity of a human rights abusing, criminal harbouring state, as if the very suggestion of them being corrupt is all part of some sort of childish sporting jealousy.
Its actually alarming. Everything about the club and their fans in contemptible.
They're just like their owners and manager - want success at all costs even if it is obtained illegally, and don't care how much damage they do along the way, so long as they get their own way.
I feel like it's an old tale
The downtrodden loser gets all they ever desired but at some hideous cost and they accept it.
People have been saying for years that City won't be punished because 'UAE is so powerful/UK Govt will get down on their knees and swallow whatever UAE put in front of them'.
However, the problem is that everything we've seen does not support this - from a PL perspective. If this was the case, then this whole situation wouldn't have got here. The PL could've easily have said 'nothing to see' after the the UEFA case. For me, the question isn't whether City get a serious PL punishment. As the structure of the PL means that a serious punishment is required to keep the product 'real'. Rather it is how the EFL deal with them as there structure and profile means that they can be influenced more easily by UAE money or UK Govt pressure.
My stance has always been City get relegated as it benefits the PL. But the unknown is if the EFL will send them to the Champo or League Two/National League. The former provides a speed bump the latter a silver bullet, that for me is the question and will determine how much pressure the UK/UAE govt can apply.
Which City fans do you talk to? Online for sure they're like this. However, my Coty friends admit that they may be fecked and it'll be back to 'little City' for them if what has been 'hacked' is true and can be upheld.
On the one hand- 'surely nothing is gonna come out of it as they have too much power & standings by now...?'
On the other hand- 'surely the PL can't come out of this with nothing otherwise they look like complete clowns, and the other clubs will give them hell..?'
Which is it then?
My fear, on top of them getting away scott free, is that we as football fans of other club with accept it as part of the world being a shitty unjust place.
As we always do with regards to football, politics and life in general.
Imagine if it was actually realistic for fans to stop attending games, making the PL product essentially void?
Would be so satisfying.
On the other hand- 'surely the PL can't come out of this with nothing otherwise they look like complete clowns, and the other clubs will give them hell..?'
Which is it then?
My fear, on top of them getting away scott free, is that we as football fans of other club with accept it as part of the world being a shitty unjust place.
As we always do with regards to football, politics and life in general.
Imagine if it was actually realistic for fans to stop attending games, making the PL product essentially void?
Would be so satisfying.
Here we go…
History in the making.
History in the making.
Is that the same though? They can admit they'll be in trouble if convicted, but my point is that I've never encountered one online or otherwise who thinks is plausible/likely that they are cheats.
But you have none City fans like @NicolaSacco that do the same. He doesn’t see them as cheats as he/she has convinced themself that FFP is all about protecting the big clubs and creating a monopoly. So they use this to just discount FFP altogether.
You can’t cheat if the rules are bullshit, or something along those lines.
You could just as easily argue that they couldn't, given the talk of a regulator.
I don' think this is as binary as people try to make it out to be.
For them to get off with technicalities is one thing, but if a found guilty and a light punishment are given, it’d make the Pl look absolutely stupid.
There’s surely no way the PL would go lightly after all this
There’s surely no way the PL would go lightly after all this
Them getting away on a technicality will also make the PL look stupid.
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They are stupid.
They are cnuts moreso.
Stupid cnuts then, given the Leicester case.
Trumpian. That's what city's apologists are, Trumpian. They'd believe any theory which serves their entitlement.
Cabal? Tick. 'Red Cartel'? Tick. UEFA having it in for them? Tick. Witch-hunt? Tick.
They know it's nonsense but they know they want it to be true more. Anything but fifteenth to relegation again. Anything. Morals or 'owning the rags'.
In their defence, and a slight one at it, city had zero chance at ever competing at the highest level without some form of major investment. Not simply because of themselves, but in the way the sport is organised.
Their 'elitist' arguments are valid albeit insufficient in this regard. Insufficient because they now constitute the very elite they are now denouncing. In fact, they've made the problem exponentially worse.
Guardiola's projection of democracy whilst being paid thousands to be the acceptable face of a brutal dictatorship is apt.
LGBTQ banners at the ground. Ukraine flags as their beloved owners welcome Putin. 'Yeah but the west...'
I truly despise Ratcliffe, I really do, but a five-minute conversation about it with a city fan (I live in Stockport) makes me so glad we avoided Qatar.
exactly, theres all sorts of juvenile conspiracy theories and mental gymnastics, and there has been for a decade.
A lot is at stake here. I just hope the PL realizes the sporting integrity of the PL needs to be fixed. If Cheaty get off lightly, I‘m not sure I‘ll bother watching the PL next season.
Let battle commence.
Nope. No. Absolutely not.