La Liga official complaint about City

[The perfect fumble]

I think the thing is, in the Middle East, so much of everything is based on trust. Lines between family, business, personal matters are so blurred to western eyes. It's just part of the culture, and not just at the level of royal families, also at the level of shopkeepers and artists. Everyone.

So when a westerner sees a relationship between parties to a deal, and thinks it's suspicious because the default mode is that everyone is out for a quick buck, Emiratis see a business opportunity on a long-term basis built on trust.

The Etihad deal was a good example. A deal based on the trust between City and Etihad executives. City wouldn't be overcharging Etihad and would deliver what was promised and Etihad would be a loyal long-term partner. Hasn't worked out too bad, but the western response was: what was the losing bid? There wasn't one because there didn't need to be. Trust.

Another example was the joker we originally had representing City. He was embarrassing City, Mansour and Abu Dhabi, so by definition, he was embarrassing family. Mansour changed him and brought in, presumably with the support of, or at the suggestion of his half-brother, two of the most respected business people in AD. Family.

Final example. The number of sponsorships that are linked at business executive level. Big deal according to the Athletic and Gary Neville. Perfectly normal to develop long-term business relationships by integrating personal relationships at executive level, both ways, especially when this is done at Mubadala with such strategic, long-term investments. When a business involvement is required, who else than someone you have a long-term relationship with and whom you trust. Trust and personal relationship.

This misunderstanding of the ME culture is at the heart of the casual racism towards the ME, imo. They don't do it like we do, so they must be up to something. That should change with some education, but I can't see it happening.

It's too bad for our competitors that our management and executives are so well connected. It's too bad they take a long-term view with people they trust. Basically, tough.

Again, open to being corrected if I have anything wrong.

That's a very accurate description of how long term business relationships are established and nurtured in the Middle East. Of course Emirates long standing relationship with Arsenal shows it's not exclusively an in house affair, the UAE is very outward looking, it has to be. But as a rule, long term, respect, trust, these things take precedent over short termism, quick buck, cash cow, here today gone tomorrow capitalism. In my experience Middle Eastern businesses are often initially wary of doing business with Americans, because the latter traits are often associated with them.

 

[Norbiton]

I think the thing is, in the Middle East, so much of everything is based on trust. Lines between family, business, personal matters are so blurred to western eyes. It's just part of the culture, and not just at the level of royal families, also at the level of shopkeepers and artists. Everyone.

So when a westerner sees a relationship between parties to a deal, and thinks it's suspicious because the default mode is that everyone is out for a quick buck, Emiratis see a business opportunity on a long-term basis built on trust.

The Etihad deal was a good example. A deal based on the trust between City and Etihad executives. City wouldn't be overcharging Etihad and would deliver what was promised and Etihad would be a loyal long-term partner. Hasn't worked out too bad, but the western response was: what was the losing bid? There wasn't one because there didn't need to be. Trust.

Another example was the joker we originally had representing City. He was embarrassing City, Mansour and Abu Dhabi, so by definition, he was embarrassing family. Mansour changed him and brought in, presumably with the support of, or at the suggestion of his half-brother, two of the most respected business people in AD. Family.

Final example. The number of sponsorships that are linked at business executive level. Big deal according to the Athletic and Gary Neville. Perfectly normal to develop long-term business relationships by integrating personal relationships at executive level, both ways, especially when this is done at Mubadala with such strategic, long-term investments. When a business involvement is required, who else than someone you have a long-term relationship with and whom you trust. Trust and personal relationship.

This misunderstanding of the ME culture is at the heart of the casual racism towards the ME, imo. They don't do it like we do, so they must be up to something. That should change with some education, but I can't see it happening.

It's too bad for our competitors that our management and executives are so well connected. It's too bad they take a long-term view with people they trust. Basically, tough.

Again, open to being corrected if I have anything wrong.

Excellent summary, and I think it explains a lot about City's relations with UEFA. When City were caught out by the retrospective change in the guidelines for discounting the wages of players signed before FFP came into force after checking with them at every stage that we were complying, the evident anger of Khaldoon and the rest of the board wasn't just about being stitched up and penalised it was personal insult and the betrayal of trust. There was no possibility of coming back from that, UEFA were from then on never to be believed again. Sure we'd have to deal with them, but co-operate in a future investigation? No chance.

 

[The perfect fumble]

City are up against “spherical deniers” when it comes to how the club is run. You can’t argue with a deluded mind.

City have over the years shown great advancement both on and off the pitch and it is flat out denied. Didn’t happen, money came from the Sheikh.

We pay puma, etihad and any other brand to sponsor us. We don’t receive any money from participating in the champions league and for winning the premiership. We also get nothing from the broadcasting deal that every other club benefits from and we certainly get nothing from match day revenue as we have no fans.

This can all be proved by saying, they must have done something. How can a successful team pay the figure required to obtain Haaland?

Tribalistic achievement deniers.

Just so.

That's why I don't agree with the line taken by Prestwich Blue, not because he's fundamentally wrong, he isn't, but because he's howling into the wind. The audience he's trying to reach is not receptive to "his" facts, they have "alternative" facts that pander to their allegiances and their prejudices, put simply they believe their "facts" because they want to, and they're encouraged in their belief, everyday and all the time, by powerful voices in the media who know that PB is right, but have their own agenda to promote and his facts don't fit.

Besides I doubt very much that PB banging on about the difference between the Sheikh's personal investment in City, rather than the investment he could've made as vice chairman of the Emirati state-owned Mubdala investment Company, is going to convince white van man that everything is tickety-boo.

Oh! And then comparing it to the Queen's race horses! Do me a favour!

This tack will not work, it does not work, I'm not saying PB should not counter fallacies with facts when he sees them, but as a campaign to move the dial on City it is nothing more than ineffective fire fighting.

 

[wolviedinho]

Just so.

That is why I do not agree with the line taken by Prestwich Blue, not because he's fundamentally wrong, he isn't, but because he's howling into the wind. The audience he's trying to reach is not receptive to "his" facts, they have "alternative" facts that pander to their allegiances and their prejudices, put simply they believe their "facts" because they want to, and they're encouraged in their belief, everyday and all the time, by powerful voices in the media who know that PB is right, but have their own agenda to promote and his facts don't fit.

Besides I doubt very much that Prestwich Blue banging on about the difference between the Sheikh's personal investment in City rather than the investment he could've made as vice chairman of the Emirati state-owned Mubdala investment Company, is gong to convince white van man that everything is tickety-boo.

Oh! And then comparing it to the Queen's race horses! Do me a favour!

This tack will not work, it does not work, I'm not saying PB should not counter fallacies with facts when he sees them, but as a campaign to move the dial on City it is nothing more than ineffective fire fighting.

I actually like how @Prestwich_Blue approaches the subject. He is a very learned man on the subject and I doff my cap to him to the insightful discussions he provokes.

I think we need a 2 pronged attack. We keep correcting the false information on any platform we can and secondly the more crazy idea of staging a media protest at games. Get some banners made up with pickets showing the racist abuse the club receives. You could hold it outside the ground on match days. It would not be ignored. Get the 1894 group involved. They did great with the Uefa banner.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Oh! And then comparing it to the Queen's race horses! Do me a favour!

Why does that comparison not work for you mate?

 

[The perfect fumble]

I actually like how @Prestwich_Blue approaches the subject. He is a very learned man on the subject and I doff my cap to him to the insightful discussions he provokes.

I think we need a 2 pronged attack. We keep correcting the false information on any platform we can and secondly the more crazy idea of staging a media protest at games. Get some banners made up with pickets showing the racist abuse the club receives. You could hold it outside the ground on match days. It would not be ignored. Get the 1894 group involved. They did great with the Uefa banner.

PB is a very learned man but he's no team player and while he might well provoke insightful discussion, he has a tendency to close it down if you disagree with him.

A simple banner with Pep's two word quote "Prove It" would be very effective.

And perhaps one with "Dirty Oil Club" and another "Doing It The Right Way"

These are trigger phrases that open up the discussion rather than close it down.

 

[jitsubluedan]

PB is a very learned man but he's no team player and while he might well provoke insightful discussion, he has a tendency to close it down if you disagree with him.

A simple banner with Pep's two word quote "Prove It" would be very effective.

And perhaps one with "Dirty Oil Club" and another "Doing It The Right Way"

These are trigger phrases that open up the discussion rather than close it down.

We could have a ‘City bingo’ banner and throw the lot in - unfurl it at the start of every home game!

 

[HelloCity]

A simple banner with Pep's two word quote "Prove It" would be very effective.

And perhaps one with "Dirty Oil Club" and another "Doing It The Right Way"

Might pass on those options :)

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

PB is a very learned man but he's no team player and while he might well provoke insightful discussion, he has a tendency to close it down if you disagree with him.

That's because if you disagree with me, you're invariably wrong. ;-)

 

[markprendy]

I actually like how @Prestwich_Blue approaches the subject. He is a very learned man on the subject and I doff my cap to him to the insightful discussions he provokes.

I think we need a 2 pronged attack. We keep correcting the false information on any platform we can and secondly the more crazy idea of staging a media protest at games. Get some banners made up with pickets showing the racist abuse the club receives. You could hold it outside the ground on match days. It would not be ignored. Get the 1894 group involved. They did great with the Uefa banner.

What about a banner of Tebas as a Nazi