Media Thread - 2021/22

[Bournemouth Blue]

Funny how these articles always appear at key moments of the season

 

[argyle]

Arguably these organisations want City to do that - it simply provides them with further ammunition along the lines of 'shutting down scrutiny' and 'censoring the free press'

AD/Sheikh Mansour won't engage, I'd expect they're fully aware of how it's viewed but are pragmatic enough to realise it's small fry in terms of the global view. Club now has millions of fans across the world and AD/SM far larger issues.

Taking them to court because of misreporting, spinning the truth or lying isn't censoring or shutting down scrutiny.

It essentially means so called journalists can say whatever they like about City and damage the clubs reputation at will.

 

[Metalartin]

I'm pretty sure I saw some emails from 2010 used in their supposed evidence document. Surely they can't be trying to go back that far? We all know FFP has only been in place since 2011 and I thought most of these claims were based on emails from 2012 onwards.

Their arguments are weird anyway, it's hard to tell what they really believe at times. On one hand they are saying City are a sportswashing project for the whole of the UAE(not just Abu Dhabi?). So the suggestion is City are essentially state owned. On the other hand, they insist on suggesting Sheikh Mansour, the private owner of Manchester City, was paying the sponsorships himself. Aren't those accusations at odds a little bit?

They do claim to know what the PL investigation is about, although they did call them the English Football League:

Spoiler

Already, the English football league has spent years investigating Manchester City, largely out of the public eye. According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, that investigation is focusing on three primary allegations.

1. Underage players were allegedly pressured to sign contracts with Manchester City through monetary payments, in violation of the rules.
2. Club sponsors in Abu Dhabi are suspected of having provided only a portion of their payments to the club themselves, with the majority apparently coming from Sheikh Mansour himself.
3. Roberto Mancini, who is currently the trainer for the Italian national team but who spent the years from 2009 to 2013 as the trainer for ManCity, is thought to have received a significant portion of his compensation secretly by way of a fictitious consultancy contract.

Even the title is a little bit weird when you think about it: "Sponsorship Money - Paid For by the State". Yes some of it was(technically even their revenues/profits are still state money), which is not against the rules. That was the point some City fans were making, why it wasn't disguised owner investment after all.

I don't think many(if any) of the UAE related deals are disclosed as related party but they are all openly owned by one of the wealthiest states in the world. Do they not think Abu Dhabi can afford to meet whatever commitments those organisations have agreed to, in sponsorship obligations? Or are they saying it's wrong that they do secure that money from the many available state funds, if need be? They own those companies(publicly available information), that's what owners are supposed to do when their company needs funds.

The UAE is a very wealthy country but Abu Dhabi on it's own has numerous sovereign wealth funds in the top 20 biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world. Notably, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority rank 4th and Mubadala rank 13th highest(surprised to see Norway at the top of that list). They would fund their own companies and meet their obligations easily enough, without Sheikh Mansour's help.

 

[Ajm1985]

It's privately owned whichever way they spin it.


What?

I love that - Khaldoon is the de facto PM with Mansour as his deputy

 

[Asa's left peg]

Yaaaawn. It's that time of the year again!

Waters wet, Liverpool are worthy champions (but not actually), Tears are salty and Peps off (seen that one again).

 

[Damanino]

I cant wait for the summer transfer window and Newcastle splashing the cash and hopefully they quickly will fight for top4.:)

That will make the whatsup group really shaking and sweating while sitting in their own piss.

 

[Cityfan1977]

In case you missed it City did do something about when they went to CAS, perhaps you should read the judgment to see that all accusations were thrown out, except non cooperation with UEFA for which we were fined.

Who do you want City to sue, every pretend journalist on Twitter or everyone who reprints this nonsense for clicks, we could apply for the internet to be shit down? Or spend millions on constant litigation?

I will forward your suggestion to City and tell them rather strongly @Cityfan1977 is getting upset and his panties in a right twist unless they make it stop right now!

I tell you what I want , I want stories about Liverpool, United leaking to the media, bad stories because if there is anything Liverpool fc dont want that is bad stories. If they can find something in our closet we can also find something in theres. I bet you my house that everyone has something they dont want out in the open. And I am 100% sure that Liverpool is one of the main force behind this.......

 

[bluealf]

I tell you what I want , I want stories about Liverpool, United leaking to the media, bad stories because if there is anything Liverpool fc dont want that is bad stories. If they can find something in our closet we can also find something in theres. I bet you my house that everyone has something they dont want out in the open. And I am 100% sure that Liverpool is one of the main force behind this.......

We all know the skeletons in their closets, as do the press, they choose not to run with them for a reason, it is called not upsetting the applecart and the fact the vast majority of them are red cunts of either persuasion, htf do you still not know this?

 

[Inter Me Nan]

This is how I imagine the convo went down...

Cool Hand Khaldoon: What is thy bidding my master?

Sheikh Mansour: Send the funds to finance to pay for Haaland, there it will remain till the piss is boiled.

Cool Hand Khaldoon: What of the new Der Spiegel report?

Sheikh Mansour: It is of no concern, soon the rebellion will be crushed and young Haaland will be one of us. Your work here is finished my friend, go and get me a chip muffin.

Cool Hand Khaldoon: Yes my master.

 

[TFC]

Its priceless how the muck starts flying in the weeks of our big games. Pep's off to manage Brazil, FFP bollocks, brilliant, transparently embarrassing stuff.

 

[halfcenturyup]

They actually went ahead with this disgrace?

I thought they would realise eventually how devaluing it would be for their prime competition.

I would have thought it weakens their case in the ECJ as well. If one of their arguments against the ESL was sporting merit, then they are shooting themselves in the foot somewhat by using "historic" sporting merit for the CL.

Haven't seen any announcement of this, but haven't really looked either tbh.

 

[Cityfan1977]

We all know the skeletons in their closets, as do the press, they choose not to run with them for a reason, it is called not upsetting the applecart and the fact the vast majority of them are red cunts of either persuasion, htf do you still not know this?

They use Der Spiegel, we are not going to use Daily Mail or any of the red media I know that.
We could someone like Der Spiegel who does everything for money

 

[Don Karleone]

I tell you what I want , I want stories about Liverpool, United leaking to the media, bad stories because if there is anything Liverpool fc dont want that is bad stories. If they can find something in our closet we can also find something in theres. I bet you my house that everyone has something they dont want out in the open. And I am 100% sure that Liverpool is one of the main force behind this.......

It isn't like there isn't enough ammo to use against them scummy cunts. It wouldn't get the same traction though.

 

[The Pandorica Opened]

What are the odds of this leading to serious sanctions?

 

[chesterbells]

Pep's Bulletproof Blues give no fucks.

Fine band

 

[Gaz (FMwkdsoul)]

What are the odds of this leading to serious sanctions?

0-5% id guess, all years ago and predate both cases being sealed.

 

[why me? Blue Manchester]

FFS not again

 

[mac]

It isn't like there isn't enough ammo to use against them scummy cunts. It wouldn't get the same traction though.

It wouldn't get any coverage. Can't even call the twats on here now.

 

[jrb]

Daily Mail article about UEFA's new sustainability regulations, via REUTERS.

As the article goes on.......... (note the obvious and not so subtle digs in the first 2 paragraphs)

Despite more than a decade of lavish investment in players, Abu Dhabi-funded Manchester City and Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain have yet to win the Champions League.

Key to rules tying spending to income will be whether UEFA assess the true value of potentially inflated sponsorships linked to the state-backed ownership with both City and PSG benefiting significantly from deals linked to their Gulf ownership.

The article then goes off on another tangent.....

German newspaper Der Spiegel claimed on Thursday to know the details of the Premier League's three-year long investigation into Manchester City.

City were initially banned from European competitions for two years by UEFA in 2020 and fined £25million after a Der Spiegel report alleged that they were in breach of FFP rules, but the club successfully appealed to have the decision overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

A Premier League investigation into the financial dealings of the club, who are owned by Abu Dhabi-based Sheikh Mansour, has continued 'largely out of the public eye', according to Der Spiegel, and reportedly focuses on three primary allegations.

So the article that started off about UEFA ended about City.

Even Reuters Journalists aren't hiding their dislike of City. Or did the Daily United completely change the whole narrative of the article on purpose, after the initial UEFA story, and Reuters credit?

 

[jrb]

Perfect timing again by the German c*nts.

Maxmum exposure leading up to the match against the Scousers.

RAWK will be buzzing.