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

[MillionMilesAway]

God, that morning waiting for 9am? was nearly as tense as I'd been for any football match.

Waiting for bluemoon to fall over at exactly the wrong time...

 

[petrusha]

Don't remember being happier in all my time as a Blue owing to an off-field event. Make no mistake, this was a concerted attempt by our enemies to cripple our club's ability to compete at the highest level, and they really thought they were going to achieve it.

What would have happened had we lost at CAS doesn't bear thinking about. Two years with no revenue from European competition would have been bad enough, with the likely loss of various top players and members of staff whom we'd have had to replace on the cheap. But remember also that such an outcome would in effect have seen an independent appeals body label our accounts as falsified.

There were suggestions that we'd be investigated by the Premier League with a view to them stripping us of titles. I don't think that would have been fanciful. It was exquisite to witness the dismay of our rivals' cheerleaders in the 'WhatsApp group'.

 

[BeerIsTheBest]

What a fucking day that was. Trying to work after the announcement but my head had gone completely. For me it was the vindication of years of trawling through FFP rules, toolkits, spreadsheets, NY court papers and loads of other documents so I understood all the issues.

While bullshitting tossers like Delaney, Panja, the two Harrises and Evans were actively working on behalf of actors trying to undermine the club, claiming that their "sources" were telling them what the outcome was.

Well Migs, Tariq, Rob, Nick, Tony ("Scouse not English") Evans and the other WhatsApp wankers - little old me was right and you were wrong and, despite your attempts to get me sacked from my job I'm still there and doing great so go fuck yourselves.

Hey PB. May folk look to you for solace and sense on here and imagine your like Geoff Tracey amidst a crisis. Don't spoil the mental picture I’ve got of you relaxing quietly and emotionless back into your chair post announcement and murmuring something to yourself like ‘that’ll do pig’.
keep up your good work.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Hey PB. May folk look to you for solace and sense on here and imagine your like Geoff Tracey amidst a crisis. Don't spoil the mental picture I’ve got of you relaxing quietly and emotionless back into your chair post announcement and murmuring something to yourself like ‘that’ll do pig’.
keep up your good work.

Feel free to retain that picture in your head my friend. I won't disabuse you of it.

 

[Blue Theatre]

Of all our (let's face it, many) victories over the past 10 years, this was easily our most important.

 

[remember arthur mann]

Feel free to retain that picture in your head my friend. I won't disabuse you of it.

 

[JASR]

Don't remember being happier in all my time as a Blue owing to an off-field event. Make no mistake, this was a concerted attempt by our enemies to cripple our club's ability to compete at the highest level, and they really thought they were going to achieve it.

What would have happened had we lost at CAS doesn't bear thinking about. Two years with no revenue from European competition would have been bad enough, with the likely loss of various top players and members of staff whom we'd have had to replace on the cheap. But remember also that such an outcome would in effect have seen an independent appeals body label our accounts as falsified.

There were suggestions that we'd be investigated by the Premier League with a view to them stripping us of titles. I don't think that would have been fanciful. It was exquisite to witness the dismay of our rivals' cheerleaders in the 'WhatsApp group'.

Horrible day… horrible night waiting for the horrible day….

the ecstasy, euphoria and a big 2/1 finger(s) to the combined ranks of other teams supporters, lined up ready to put the boot in… pretty close to the best day of being a City fan.

Vindicated, exonerated and never to be forgotten

 

[LongsightM13]

I’m still miffed by the fine for ‘non co-operation’ which was a clear political fudge to dissuade us from going after UEFA for full costs and a bone thrown to UEFA and bad faith elements of the media which allowed them to say “well, they were still guilty of something”

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

I’m still miffed by the fine for ‘non co-operation’ which was a clear political fudge to dissuade us from going after UEFA for full costs and a bone thrown to UEFA and bad faith elements of the media which allowed them to say “well, they were still guilty of something”

Took the gloss off for me too but I suppose it was a pragmatic business thing - greasing the wheels / one hand washes the other etc. Still, made up for by that pic of Pep and his Spanish buddies pissing themselves in front of the sky sports headline :-)

 

[jaiguruKun]

I sometimes wonder whether the part of the judgement which says a majority of the panel found in our favour really meant only two of the three judges were with us or it just said that because it was all that was required and they didn't want to say it was unanimous. Anyway, I can't believe it was only a year ago I was dancing around my back garden in delight at the news. Belated happy anniversary wishes to everyone.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Of all our (let's face it, many) victories over the past 10 years, this was easily our most important.

This was like winning our first PL title in the 94th minute, the repercussions were so huge.

 

[Claytop]

Took the gloss off for me too but I suppose it was a pragmatic business thing - greasing the wheels / one hand washes the other etc. Still, made up for by that pic of Pep and his Spanish buddies pissing themselves in front of the sky sports headline :-)

;)

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Someone did say I was a complete Virgil. At least, I think that's what they said.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

;)

Cheers @Claytop still makes me smile. All the more so as it boiled so much piss at the time.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

I sometimes wonder whether the part of the judgement which says a majority of the panel found in our favour really meant only two of the three judges were with us or it just said that because it was all that was required and they didn't want to say it was unanimous. Anyway, I can't believe it was only a year ago I was dancing around my back garden in delight at the news. Belated happy anniversary wishes to everyone.

It meant a couple of bitter twats that had received hefty bribes were pissed off that there was actually no legal case to answer.

 

[blueyorkie]

What a fucking day that was. Trying to work after the announcement but my head had gone completely. For me it was the vindication of years of trawling through FFP rules, toolkits, spreadsheets, NY court papers and loads of other documents so I understood all the issues.

While bullshitting tossers like Delaney, Panja, the two Harrises and Evans were actively working on behalf of actors trying to undermine the club, claiming that their "sources" were telling them what the outcome was.

Well Migs, Tariq, Rob, Nick, Tony ("Scouse not English") Evans and the other WhatsApp wankers - little old me was right and you were wrong and, despite your attempts to get me sacked from my job I'm still there and doing great so go fuck yourselves.

Great work Colin

 

[Centurions]

I sometimes wonder whether the part of the judgement which says a majority of the panel found in our favour really meant only two of the three judges were with us or it just said that because it was all that was required and they didn't want to say it was unanimous ...

I don't think that was ever explained by anyone who actually knew (as opposed to suggestions and outright guesses).

I've absolutely no idea how it operates but it could be that the three adjudicators got together on a Zoom call and the first two give their verdict on a particular point. The third person has no need to put their vote forward then, hence every(?) point was 'by majority of the panel'. This is just a random scenario thrown out there.

It certainly led to the outright idiots to claim that we must have bought 2 of them off.

Edit: Wasn't there some bizarre claim at the time that we picked 2 of the adjudicators ourselves?

 

[petrusha]

I don't think that was ever explained by anyone who actually knew (as opposed to suggestions and outright guesses).

I've absolutely no idea how it operates but it could be that the three adjudicators got together on a Zoom call and the first two give their verdict on a particular point. The third person has no need to put their vote forward then, hence every(?) point was 'by majority of the panel'. This is just a random scenario thrown out there.

It certainly led to the outright idiots to claim that we must have bought 2 of them off.

Edit: Wasn't there some bizarre claim at the time that we picked 2 of the adjudicators ourselves?

We'll never know for sure whether the part of the CAS judgment that went in our favour was by a 2-1 majority or was unanimous. However, Stefan from the 93:20 pod - who was by far the leading commentator on the legal aspects in this case, with a perspicacity of analysis that dwarfed that of experts quoted in the media - went back over the language used in other CAS judgments. He found that these judgments often did specify that a finding had been unanimous.

So while we can't be certain, the likelihood is that one of the arbitrators (presumably the guy chosen by UEFA) did find against us on the main point of the proceedings. Equally, it's probable that one of the arbitrators (presumably our nominee) found against the guilty verdict and fine in terms of non-cooperation with UEFA's investigation.

The procedure with regard to the composition of the panel was for each party to nominate one arbitrator and for the parties then to agree jointly on a third arbitrator, the chair of the panel. We apparently made a suggestion, which UEFA then agreed to, and some of the journalists (Tony Evans in particular, I recall) got a bit hot under the collar about it, claiming that UEFA had in effect allowed us to pick two of the three panel members. Not much merit in the argument IMO, but there you go.

 

[Kazzydeyna]

This was like winning our first PL title in the 94th minute, the repercussions were so huge.

In effect it was significantly bigger than that even.
The whole CAS thing was a concerted, deliberate effort to completely ruin the club and the whole future project. Made up by the powers that be within the game and our own domestic rivals in order to make the Muslims slink away as “proven cheats”

It was quite literally an existential crisis and the aftermath of a defeat would have seen the club stripped of titles, fined in the hundreds of millions when you add in lost sponsorships etc and in actuality we would have been set back decades with our name tainted deliberately for ever more.

They didn’t think we would fight back though. They offered us a sop, a little fine, thinking we would take it and this would then open the floodgates “City admit cheating”.

We won. And literally saved the whole club.

Still and always will makes me proud,emotional, and delirious.

 

[kippaxwarrior]

Wonder if the WhatsApp wankers had a special celerbratery dinner last night in honour of the first anniversary of our ban........oh hang on a minute