PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[MillionMilesAway]

Neville wants to be the regulator. Him and Carragher both put themselves forward when the idea was first mooted. Presumably to try and protect redshirt interests like Gill and Parry did at UEFA

I think he certainly wants to be on the regulatory body, but I doubt he wants to be regulator. It would take up too much time and possibly be incompatible with his TV contracts, and would require some actual work. He'd also not be able to get on his soapbox in so partisan a way.

I think Sky would be very pleased to have him on the panel though.

 

[halfcenturyup]

I have to say this is the thing that most makes me think it is BS. A story of this magnitude would have to be worth tens of thousands of pounds - and possibly more - for a red top exclusive. Were it true, I cannot imagine there's many people (like zero) who would throw say £50k down the pan by just sitting on this and only sharing it with City.

Depends how much they were paid either in the first place to procure it, or in the second place to hand it over.

I doubt very much it was a concerned citizen fuming at corruption. There will be money involved somewhere.

 

[halfcenturyup]

I think he certainly wants to be on the regulatory body, but I doubt he wants to be regulator. It would take up too much time and possibly be incompatible with his TV contracts, and would require some actual work. He'd also not be able to get on his soapbox in so partisan a way.

I think Sky would be very pleased to have him on the panel though.

I have zero concern that they will have someone like him as the regulator, or even on the regulatory body for that matter. He is a nobody in those circles.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Neville wants to be the regulator. Him and Carragher both put themselves forward when the idea was first mooted. Presumably to try and protect redshirt interests like Gill and Parry did at UEFA

I'd happily have Neville involved. He can navigate politics and sport, seems to understand a fan's, player's and owner's perspective, and recognizes the need to offer a commercial product without ruining clubs. He often speaks fairly of City's owners, presumably through his own links and connections with Manchester council, and his manifesto thingy he did seemed evenhanded. Carragher, on the other hand, is thick shit with no attention to deal.

 

[StillBluessinceHydeRoad]

I think our defence to the charges brought by PL must be to prove that these charges are as was once said, "completely untrue". No defence can possibly be based on an argument that we were pushed into breaking the law (of the land, made by a sovereign Parliament) because we are charged by a corrupt PL. Our "irrefutable evidence" will certainly be irrefutable if it shows us to be innocent. If the club wishes to/can go on to claim that the charges are part of a "bigger picture" which shows that these charges are part of a bigger picture which is of a PL and other bodies which have abdicated their roles as regulatory bodies to act in the interests of interested parties then that would help cleanse the game of much that is wrong. But, the club must have weighty evidence to back up these claims. And it would be no use, for instance, introducing an "independent" regulator if this was just a vehicle for Stretford or Merseyside key board fans.

 

[Chris in London]

Mubadala managed investments worth a combined total of £200 billion last year; their vice chairman is Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon is managing director and group CEO.
Just to be clear, the PL are actually accusing these people of fraud and false accounting over a period of 10 years? It’s frankly laughable..

View attachment 69792

No, they are accusing the board of MCFC of fraud, AND the board of Etihad, AND the board of Etisalat, AND the board of Aabar, AND (you get my drift...)

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

I'd happily have Neville involved. He can navigate politics and sport, seems to understand a fan's, player's and owner's perspective, and recognizes the need to offer a commercial product without ruining clubs. He often speaks fairly of City's owners, presumably through his own links and connections with Manchester council, and his manifesto thingy he did seemed evenhanded. Carragher, on the other hand, is thick shit with no attention to deal.

Would it not be a conflict of interest for him being on the board at Salford is this panel is truly going to be independent? He bangs the drum on financial fair play not being fair not for being seen as impartial, instead for his own self interests as it limits what his chum Peter Lim can pump into Salford City.

 

[Maly]

And the PL are partly funded by us, are we responsible too?

Ah, but our funding to the PL was disguised owner funding ;)

 

[Ric]

I think the stuff about any supposed recording is probably best kept in a separate thread, as it’s distracting a bit from the main subject here. Cheers.

 

[decmancity]

I'd happily have Neville involved. He can navigate politics and sport, seems to understand a fan's, player's and owner's perspective, and recognizes the need to offer a commercial product without ruining clubs. He often speaks fairly of City's owners, presumably through his own links and connections with Manchester council, and his manifesto thingy he did seemed evenhanded.

Nearly got me with this one.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Would it not be a conflict of interest for him being on the board at Salford is this panel is truly going to be independent? He bangs the drum on financial fair play not being fair not for being seen as impartial, instead for his own self interests as it limits what his chum Peter Lim can pump into Salford City.

I'd have to see further details really, but surely the panel will have stakeholders from all across the sport involved to some degree?

 

[dario2739]

Given that Barcelona were exposed for doing this with their own players I'd think you'd have to be extraordinarily naïve to believe it doesn't play it's part.

Do you have any evidence saved of these bots you've reported?

No - obviously as you report them, you block them so couldn't even tell you their names on there – you can tell them a mile off though... usually following/followed by very few people despite having been on twitter for years... generic image/avatar etc. etc.

Bot/Troll farms are common, sadly - and most people won't even be aware of it... only last year the Ukrainians claimed to have shut down a bot farm operating from within Kyiv, pushing Russian propaganda through more than 1 million accounts!

 

[dario2739]

The idea that any journalist or editor would overlook proof of corruption in the Premier League - the biggest sport story in this country in 20 years - because the victim of said corruption was Manchester City is one of the many completely unbeleiveable aspects of this story.

Another one might be why a concerned citizen turned whistleblower would send said "proof" to Manchester City, and not make a dozen copies and send it to every major news desk in the country.

But that's assuming their own media outlet wasn't/isn't in someway complicit in that corruption.

 

[halfcenturyup]

I'd have to see further details really, but surely the panel will have stakeholders from all across the sport involved to some degree?

Which stakeholders would he be representing?

Owners? There are some serious business people involved currently or in the past with owning clubs who could better represent the interests of owners.

Broadcasters? He is a nothing in broadcasting.

Players? There are unions and many associations to represent players.

What other stakes does he have in this game? Wore a red shirt? Is an opinionated bore?

He has nothing at all to bring to an independent regulator.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I have zero concern that they will have someone like him as the regulator, or even on the regulatory body for that matter. He is a nobody in those circles.

He isn't, and shouldn't, I agree.

Plenty of professors, accountants and other administrators who know what they're doing - and I assume there would be sizeable arguments against (BT Sport and a bunch of football clubs to start with).

I'd assume co-owning Salford City would be a bar too.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

I think you're getting the PL and Pigmol mixed up bud, admittedly you wouldn't be the first on here to do that.

I know what you mean but the entire “recording” story is being suggested by a few on here as some sort of silver bullet to the Premier League charges.

If the recording story was to be true then PGMOL and the Premier League would have serious questions to answer. In effect the league has been manipulated, either by match officials at their own or the behest of the league (or rogue elements therein) or unknown third parties. It would be devastating to the integrity of the league and as such I can’t see how it’s true or any recording directly proves that.

Regardless the Premier League would still have charges against us. The fact that we would be whistleblowers (ironically) in this context wouldn’t alter the charges. It would only sully our accuser.

The implication has also been that we are using evidence of criminal wrongdoing as leverage against disciplinary charges. Which is entirely different can of worms.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I'd have to see further details really, but surely the panel will have stakeholders from all across the sport involved to some degree?

There isn't even a proposal yet, so no-one knows - it'll be several years yet before any regulator comes into operation.

I assume that club owners may have a rep, the PFA will have one, FSA should have one...

One problem that a club owner would have is confidentiality about any other club accounts he sees.

It's a difficult one to create from nothing, that's for certain.

 

[waspish]

Don't see the latter. Glazers would not sell up if there were the slightest chance of English clubs breaking away again.

Too much money on offer.

This is about an independent regulator cutting the balls off the Premier League and FA.

Thus, cutting the balls also off United and the cartel clubs.

Can't enforce the status quo if the votes no longer count :)

Does an independent regulator have any power over referees?

If not we now see why Web is head of referees and lots of new young referees have been introduced last few years!

Red shirt control referees they can control games results…

 

[Jesus H Gabz]

I'd happily have Neville involved. He can navigate politics and sport, seems to understand a fan's, player's and owner's perspective, and recognizes the need to offer a commercial product without ruining clubs. He often speaks fairly of City's owners, presumably through his own links and connections with Manchester council, and his manifesto thingy he did seemed evenhanded. Carragher, on the other hand, is thick shit with no attention to deal.

I have a similar ish view, then I think Hmmmm what happens when/if he gets the gig?

 

[halfcenturyup]

I know what you mean but the entire “recording” story is being suggested by a few on here as some sort of silver bullet to the Premier League charges.

If the recording story was to be true then PGMOL and the Premier League would have serious questions to answer. In effect the league has been manipulated, either by match officials at their own or the behest of the league (or rogue elements therein) or unknown third parties. It would be devastating to the integrity of the league and as such I can’t see how it’s true or any recording directly proves that.

Regardless the Premier League would still have charges against us. The fact that we would be whistleblowers (ironically) in this context wouldn’t alter the charges. It would only sully our accuser.

The implication has also been that we are using evidence of criminal wrongdoing as leverage against disciplinary charges. Which is entirely different can of worms.

But the irony would be delicious.

Using "evidence of criminal wrongdoing" against disciplinary charges brought about by "evidence of criminal wrongdoing".