CAS judgement: UEFA ban overturned, City exonerated (report out p603)

[DTKOAG]

And the Texaco Trophy.

Did we ever win that ?

 

[Mr HJ]

This whole vile affair has had a big impact on me. I was at risk of getting a little bored with football in general. The actions of the so called established clubs has reignited my passion for all things City. Siege mentality can be a real good motivator - watch us fly next season.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Did we ever win that ?

I've got a pennant from the game somewhere. Early 70s against a Scottish team, Airdrie, I think?

 

[BringBackSwales]

Her remit has been different for a number of years now mate.

She is more across corporate communications, working across the CFG, travelling to some of our outposts.

We have Simon Heggie as the regular duty-to-day media head.

Our press office gets pelters and rightly so sometimes, but how many people on here deal regularly with football club press offices?

City are a long way from being the worst.

Plenty of room for improvement but people are naive if they think people like Martin Samuel or Pep suddenly get the inclination to go rogue.

Pep's calling out of some of our enemies was known in advance by City's comms people.

I am sure what Pep said was known, but I doubt it was scripted for him. It does makes me wonder what people like Vicky or Simon actually do, and I don’t think either of us think it should be part of Pep’s job to defend our club to the media, which he has done on his own, magnificently. He must also wonder how the likes of stone, Cooper, etc can get away with giving him shit in press conferences every single fucking week. Where else does that happen? It’s wrong and it’s indefensible.

 

[WRicko]

I'd noticed that date jump when I saw it - would that be the jump between the first 2 years of FFP and the settling into 3 years?

I'd also worked out that 4 years was fairly close to the accepted value, rather than 70M+ which seemed far higher than received wisdom.

I thought I'd leave it to you (and others) who may be able to explain.

Confused ? Plus does this mean we can work out what Etihad are paying and what if any increases there are or where over the period note Liverpool fans saying why would a company sign a deal then keep increasing how much they are paying unless related party etc etc

 

[Neville Kneville]

I am sure what Pep said was known, but I doubt it was scripted for him. It does makes me wonder what people like Vicky or Simon actually do, and I don’t think either of us think it should be part of Pep’s job to defend our club to the media, which he has done on his own, magnificently. He must also wonder how the likes of stone, Cooper, etc can get away with giving him shit in press conferences every single fucking week. Where else does that happen? It’s wrong and it’s indefensible.

What would Ferguson's reaction be ?

I'm all for the club attacking these wankers, but managers often do actually sort the bastards out themselves in those situations.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Do you know the name of the Head of Comms in any other.football club?

By the way, how many heads of comms do I need to know before I can have an opinion on the one at my own club? I have met 3, which is probably 3 more than most people, but that gives me no less, (or more) right than any other Blue to have an opinion on the matter.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

I've got a pennant from the game somewhere. Early 70s against a Scottish team, Airdrie, I think?

Lost over 2 legs, 2-2 at home and I think 2-1 away.

All I remember of the game was some Scot trying to buy my Programme off me as we'd sold out.

 

[blueparrot]

Apparently what the head of media/comms etc should do is go on holiday, although I doubt it makes much difference. So what exactly is it that you think Vicky does well? I am not seeing it, or hearing it, so please tell me as you seem to know?

Don’t know, don’t claim too . I’m not the one ranting about her for not doing anything. I’m just saying any response to CAS won’t be her job. Also think the club know enough about her and the job she does to keep her in place so those that know her and the job she does are obviously satisfied.
Quite what your issue is I have no idea.

 

[BringBackSwales]

What would Ferguson's reaction be ?

I'm all for the club attacking these wankers, but managers often do actually sort the bastards out themselves in those situations.

The degree is very different, and I’m not aware anyone ever asked Ferguson if he had ever accepted a brown envelope, although I agree with you that he would have exploded. Pep should be supported more in these matters, in my opinion

 

[Neville Kneville]

This whole vile affair has had a big impact on me. I was at risk of getting a little bored with football in general. The actions of the so called established clubs has reignited my passion for all things City. Siege mentality can be a real good motivator - watch us fly next season.

Seeing the predictably obvious effect of var kicking in, plus the blatant corruption involved in ffp, was turning me off it, but I seriously want to fuck these people over now, forever.

 

[Bodicoteblue]

I’m not unduly worried about what the press say about us- they were lying before and they will simply continue to do so now.
I’m more concerned that they show no interest in the letter from the 8 PL clubs.
That letter shows a group, a cartel, if you like, of commercial entities, operating in the same marketplace as City attempting to influence a neutral, unbiased, legally constituted arbitration body, to further their own financial and business interests.
I’d have thought that this kind of shady dealing would have been of interest to any ‘journalist’ worth his salt, but sadly all we have is the tedious drones who simply toe the party line.
When you put this letter together with the scousers cyber theft and then look at the response to those events from the media compared to the frenzy of insinuations, word-twisting, and downright lying we’re seeing now, it leaves you in no doubt about the balance of the media.

 

[Neville Kneville]

The degree is very different, and I’m not aware anyone ever asked Ferguson if he had ever accepted a brown envelope, although I agree with you that he would have exploded. Pep should be supported more in these matters, in my opinion

Maybe, but Ferguson himself would just say 'you're out of here'. Somebody else would likely end up doing their job at rag pressers & kissing his arse.

 

[JGL07]

I think that the lesson that should be learned by a large number of sports ‘journalists’ - all the Harris brothers (Including Rolf and Wee Willie) - is:

When you are in a hole, stop digging!

 

[BringBackSwales]

Don’t know, don’t claim too . I’m not the one ranting about her for not doing anything. I’m just saying any response to CAS won’t be her job. Also think the club know enough about her and the job she does to keep her in place so those that know her and the job she does are obviously satisfied.
Quite what your issue is I have no idea.

You keep saying that. Certainly not ranting, but have every right to be extremely disappointed in our lack of official response to the gutter press. Other than Khaldoon and Pep I’ve seen not a lot. She, or her and her team, might do some things behind the scenes really well. But allowing the press to keep besmirching the reputation of our club and our coach doesn’t sit well with me, and that’s not ranting

 

[TheThirdDeano]

Okay, certainly there should be no surprise at the reporting by the usual suspects?

Of course it can grind our gears, but it's only true if you believe it to be true.

A lot of these people are just needy oxygen thiefs who need the extension of Twitter to feel validated and relevant.

agreed 100% no surprise at all, at least from the fans.

I always wonder if the uppers are ever surprised by the bile thrown our way or if they're used to it by now!

 

[oddfellows]

Lost over 2 legs, 2-2 at home and I think 2-1 away.

All I remember of the game was some Scot trying to buy my Programme off me as we'd sold out.

https://www.citytilidie.com/latest/airdrie-home-texaco-cup-1st-round-1971-to-72/

 

[slbsn]

Stefan do you agree with my view that by finding against almost all of our initial contentions thus able to use all the evidence UEFA used, they actually strengthen the fact that we didn’t disguise equity as sponsorship?

I think it is hard to conclude that we did anything other than as set out in the legal documents and audit. Getting around the documents is rightly very difficult. IMO it was always obvious that the emails would be allowed but had limited evidential weight on their own.

 

[meltonblue]

I don’t think a complete conclusion can be drawn, without sight of all the emails, around that time, relating to sponsorship; however as blue as the tint in my specs might be, I can’t help but read the emails without feeling disappointed at what appears to have been proposed.


It doesn’t sit well with me, but then again, we don’t have full context, and I’m sure it’s the sort of financial manipulation that any club (or global company) might consider and discuss, without following through on.


All that said; one of the main things that supports the narrative, that what was alluded to in the emails was not actually carried out, is that the entities and companies involved, in these sponsorship deals, are held to much more stringent financial scrutiny than the likes of the average top level football club.


Where a clearly inept organisation like UEFA scrutinises a club’s finances; the financial auditing that sovereign state owned companies must have to go through (ie ETIHAD), on a global platform, would surely throw up red flags, that would have made any nefarious activity blatant?

Yep, exactly my sentiments too.

Ultimately there's enough in the full CAS judgment for doubters still to doubt and for us to feel vindicated. As CAS found themselves, if UEFA's theory had been correct, then it's a far bigger allegation than just us circumventing FFP, it would have meant fraudulent activities by all of those sponsors. That was never going to be provable to the level it needed to be, and certainly not by a football judiciary panel.

 

[kaz7]

The thing I am struggling with is what advantage we gained by not co-operating with the UEFA investigation? I have no doubt that even if we had then UEFA would have tried to make something stick but we still would have had the option to go to CAS for a de bono hearing.

UEFA may well have tried to expand their investigation into a general fishing trip but at that point we could have refused to co-operate further and I assume CAS would have backed that stance. We have still come away from CAS with a substantial fine and, more importantly, we have been censured for non-co-operation thereby giving the media ammunition to infer that we were hiding something.

Our argument was the constant leaks by UEFA to the media was damaging to our case and they were not following their own rules by not keeping the investigation confidential,we have everything to CAS