UEFA FFP investigation - CAS decision to be announced Monday, 13th July 9.30am BST

[KS55]

So many people on here can't hold a sensible conversation on this, grown men too, instead you would rather look at my previous posts to see how active I am in the forum and hurl abuse, seriously grow up, I'm not sat in the away end, Jesus. I have an opinion you have an opinion it's a forum for discussion?? I never said I had seen all the evidence I said I've read and seen the evidence in support of UEFA's claims and that is pretty compelling. This is readily available on the web if you bother to go and look for it. I also questioned the club statement because it is interestingly worded again in my opinion.

I've been a City fan for a long time but seriously take a step back have a good think about the whole situation, it is a mess now and it could take a long time to fix. UEFA have succeeded in damaging the clubs reputation whether they are right or wrong only time will tell.

So many people on here can't hold a sensible conversation on this, grown men too, instead you would rather look at my previous posts to see how active I am in the forum and hurl abuse, seriously grow up, I'm not sat in the away end, Jesus. I have an opinion you have an opinion it's a forum for discussion?? I never said I had seen all the evidence I said I've read and seen the evidence in support of UEFA's claims and that is pretty compelling. This is readily available on the web if you bother to go and look for it. I also questioned the club statement because it is interestingly worded again in my opinion.

I've been a City fan for a long time but seriously take a step back have a good think about the whole situation, it is a mess now and it could take a long time to fix. UEFA have succeeded in damaging the clubs reputation whether they are right or wrong only time will tell.

If you think the stolen emails are compelling, think again. They may be evidence of a conversation, but they are not evidence of any action taken. This is basic, but it seems to have escaped your sharp legal mind. Ask a lawyer about cogency.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

I’m well up for winning the first ever domestic quintuple next season

Community Shield
Carabao Cup
EFL Trophy
League Two
FA Cup

Pep’s City on tour!!

 

[blue b4 the moon]

It needs to be remembered that this is a challenge on the ruling and not a challenge on FFP.

Ultimately it depends on how UEFA came to the conclusion that we are guilty although I think it will be because the evidence was lacking on certain details so they've assumed guilt.

Trying to get an Abu Dhabi company to release their confidential non-football related business dealings to a third party for football reasons is highly unlikely to work.

As we were bought to promote Abu Dhabi & this shite from UEFA is very damaging to the image (never trust a bloody Arab etc) I think they'll be much more likely to produce stuff if necessary as this ruling although we aren't owned by a country as we all know does effect how the UAE is viewed in the world.

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

I don't want to link anything here but you can find the leaks online if you look for them including the Der spiegel article, some pretty compelling stuff. In a nutshell, most of City's sponsors are either Government owned or Government backed. SM is part of that government and chairs many of them himself. In short whenever City have had a shortfall they have been able to siphon money from other companies and inject it into the club, intentionally circumventing UEFA FFP rules and changing dates to suit to make it look like they didn't have a deficit. They are guilty on a technicality and if you look carefully the Club aren't even denying their guilt they are just not happy about the process.

Your talking utter shite. Read the club statement from may 19.

"the allegation of financial irregularities are entirely false"

 

[stan bowles]

Because any kind of acceptance or admission to Ceferin's deal would still have led to Friday, just with UEFA bolstered by having us on record accepting some kind of culpability or concession. Ceferin is just a pawn in all this.

OK but do you foresee some sort of plea bargaining settlement agreement between us and UEFA? That's the point I was trying to get at. Seems like we've gone past that point. Either the CAS rules for UEFA and upholds the ban and fine and we go on to the Swiss Court or rules for us and overturns them.

 

[paulchapo]

Apologies for going off topic. Funny how when looking for a presenter for 606 the BBC just happened to select a gobby, Scouse ex-hockey player. Same with Sky choosing Spit. Out of all the recently retired footballers (some literate and articulate) Sky chose him. Not a coincidence at all considering where their loyalties lie.

They are paid to give impartial views on sport, even though they obviously support another club. Both do neither. Quek for some bizarre reason writes a football column for the mirror. She and Ferdinand who has posted similar, shouldn't be allowed to do so, they are paid to be above such behaviour.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

Came across a good blog on Howard Hockin's twitter account also referenced by Prestwich Blue, which is well worth a read and made me feel much better
The legal guy on there reckons that UEFA haven't got a leg to stand on and it's all to do with the statute of limitation regarding the original settlement ( which I thought was a simple five year rule, but apparently not if you read the blog).
However he freely admits that he doesn't know if the UEFA AC have anything else against us but on the face of it City's case looks strong.

The worrying thing from the Uefa statement is they are looking at stuff up to 2016. Surely they would have found something between 2014 and then as we would have been under extra scrutiny.

Loads of different theories sloshing around on will we, won’t we be in the clear. I’ve got this horrible feeling no matter how clearer case City present we are getting fucked over what ever happens.

What the fuck has happened to football when you need to know what due process, upper chambers and Swiss law to understand what is happening with the game at the moment?

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

Can you link me to an article where the Club denies anything? the Club statement reads:

Manchester City is disappointed but not surprised by today’s announcement by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber. The Club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position.
In December 2018, the UEFA Chief Investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered to Manchester City, before any investigation had even begun. The subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver. The Club has formally complained to the UEFA Disciplinary body, a complaint which was validated by a CAS ruling.

Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. With this prejudicial process now over, the Club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity.

They haven't denied the findings what they have said is that they want an impartial judgment and for that to include their evidence too not just what evidence UEFA has. They are complaining about the process.

May 19 statement, read it.

 

[The Colonel]

See PB's post from yesterday which links to a pdf report stating that the Etihad Airways sponsorship monies was fulfilled not by Sheikh Mansour or ADUG but by the UAE executive council. That is fundamental to the case against City. That report undermines the suggestion that ADUG paid MCFC for the Etihad sponsorship. You might say it kills it.

That is just one piece of evidence that is out in the public domain and ignored by teams of investigative reporters. I suggest that if UEFA have ignored such evidence then it's them rather than MCFC that should be worried this morning.

OK that potentially clears up the Etihad money, but there are other deals that have been questioned, or does this explain those as well? HH being the head of the UAE?

 

[OrigamiNinja]

OK but do you foresee some sort of plea bargaining settlement agreement between us and UEFA? That's the point I was trying to get at. Seems like we've gone past that point. Either the CAS rules for UEFA and upholds the ban and fine and we go on to the Swiss Court or rules for us and overturns them.

The time for this passed years ago. The Khaldoon interview where he talked about "the pinch" was him basically saying we would accept no more. I expect UEFA at the time also thought (and hoped) it was all over and done with.

 

[SidJames]

Some interesting points. I'm curious to know why (in legal terms) the CAS would come to a compromise ? On what legal basis do you think this might happen ? It seems our position is not some halfway house where UEFA might agree to a compromise agreement. Either we or they are fully fucked and one side or the other has to take the full consequence of the CAS judgement. From what others have said in this thread, we had our opportunity to accept a reduced penalty when the UEFA senior exec met with our senior team at 2 CL ties this season and we rejected it.

After CAS reviews all the evidence they have available.Which lets face will all be slanted in UEFA favor,on account of UEFA making sure that only what can be interpreted by UEFA as incriminating evidence will be available at this stage.Even if the evidence consists only of contentious emails,that were taken out of context open to UEFA interpretation.

Unless there has been a clear and obvious miscarriage of justice because the procedure was not adhered to, and CAS acquits us.Which would be really nice

I expect CAS will try and reach a happy medium acceptable to both parties.This is what the Court of Arbitration is for.

They will have read papers like us.And know that we/City want nothing short of complete exoneration.I expect they will try and dangle a Carrot in front of us,the 2 year ban,reduced to 1 year ban,Or unlikely but still possible a suspended sentence,UEFA saves face,and we get punished.

I would like to think CAS will find in our favor 100% and dismiss the allegations.See it for what it is a G14 Witch Hunt headed by UEFA.

CAS will know acquitting us,will have serious ramifications for UEFA,G14,and football in general.They know acquitting us will be a defining moment in Football.

I fully expect them to shit out of doing the right thing,even if the evidence calls for it.

 

[Manchester33]

If anyone's willing to throw a few quid into the hat, 1894 Group have setup a gofundme page for donations to a display against Real Madrid. The more we raise the more we can do.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/mcfc-v-madrid-at-home?

 

[KS55]

So it's ok for American investors to invade our league and splash their money about, and/or saddle their clubs with debt, but as soon as this money comes from the Middle Eastern sources it becomes "Dirty oil money"? It stinks of hypocrisy, but don't worry folks, the knock-on effects of this will see other clubs own funding collapse as the perceived values of their own players sink as inevitably as the Titanic did. Players who today are being quoted at silly money such as £50m upwards will see their real values plummet to realistic money at about a tenth of that as clubs become shit scared of spending, if they spend at all, and smaller clubs who rely on selling to survive will be going to the wall. It should all be worth a laugh.

Smacks of racism

 

[citymike1969]

Some interesting points. I'm curious to know why (in legal terms) the CAS would come to a compromise ? On what legal basis do you think this might happen ? It seems our position is not some halfway house where UEFA might agree to a compromise agreement. Either we or they are fully fucked and one side or the other has to take the full consequence of the CAS judgement. From what others have said in this thread, we had our opportunity to accept a reduced penalty when the UEFA senior exec met with our senior team at 2 CL ties this season and we rejected it.

...it will be a fudge whereby uefa get their knuckles rapped for the leaks etc, and a statement that the punishment was too harsh, coupled with what they come up with as a reduced punishment, at which point we go to court.

 

[nmc]

Agreed. If we had irrefutable evidence, a smoking gun, surely we would made it public knowledge by now? Either directly or leaked to the press. Someone like Martin Samuel would be desperate to get hold of that sort of stuff. I just don’t get this idea that we are sitting there holding 4 aces but have decided not to play them yet. It makes absolutely no sense. Why would we let this drag on a minute longer than necessary if we could blow eufa out of the water? Isn’t it a golden rule of PR that you kill bad news as quickly as possible?

Unfortunately this a legal battle and not a PR one - so any aces we hold need to be played to maximum effect in the right court of law.

 

[BrianW]

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." Admiral Yamamoto.
UEFA better have their tin hats on.

 

[moomba]

Have we really claimed that CFCB refused to consider our evidence? That to me makes the case a farce that will never get through an appeals process.

More likely we're claiming they accepted it, but didn't duly consider it. We know the IC didn't consider it in their rush to refer us to the AC. But I'd be very surprised if the AC didn't consider it (even though they ultimately disregarded it).

 

[George Hannah]

 

[nmc]

It appears that he doesn't like muslims and it seems to seep through everything he writes about City. What this whole saga has shown to me is the latent racism, bigotry, xenophobia, call it what you like, which seems to be a bedrock of British society and especially the media. They accuse us City fans of being deluded conspiracy theorists but we can all recognise sheer hatred when we see it. Syed is truly disgusting. He has no serious background as a journalist but is given a national platform to spout his poisonous views. He is just an upmarket Katie Hopkins, albeit from the other end of the political spectrum.

I think the word you are looking for is ****.

 

[Blue Hefner]

I would imagine It is nobody's interest/benefit to drag this out under a suspended ban. What happens if the ban is suspended, we take part next year, only for cas to uphold the ban. what happens to the club that finished 5th, this year, can they sue us? heck what happens if we were to win it next season, under a suspended ban, only for cas to uphold the ban.

Likewise, if we do go ahead with the ban, while an investigation is ongoing, and cas overturn it, do we sue uefa, or the club who took our spot?

The cleanest thing is this being resolved by cas prior to next year's competition starting, for all concerned.

I doubt it. The Champs League is essentially a private invitation only competition - UEFA could invite the bottom 4 if they wanted!

If the ban is suspended the introduced in a year or two, I wouldn't have thought any action could be taken. I could be wrong, though