PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[manimanc]

Anyone else have a bad feeling about all this? Worried?

Absolutely not.

Let me just try and ease your mind. The Premier league have apparently been investigating us for years. Do you not think even if they found one shred of evidence that we've been fraudulently running things, don't you think they'd have handed over the findings to the relevant authorities who deal with such things?

The Premier League can look for another 25 years and they won't find anything.

 

[Elbow beards]

I agree. On talk shite yesterday some know nowt forest fan actually said that the Premier League were kicking City's case into the long grass to protect us.

Well one of our charges was for having long grass, so you never know :)

 

[wolviedinho]

They must be having sleepless nights at PL HQ. Punish us and it's legal armageddon for them, or exonerate us and confirm they are complete incompetents.
I imagine they're hoping we'll take a fine and a point to help them out.
What a mess they've allowed Gill, Ferguson and Parry to throw football into.

If City do find themselves in the situation you have described then i would hope we are clever enough to ensure that once this unfortunate situation is cleared up, the club demands a seat at the top table alongside the rags and dips. That has been the aim all along, namely to be accepted as a ‘big’ club and not one that is constantly attacked.

They throw us a guarantee and we give them an out. I have feeling that the decision will not be a win for anyone but a well thought out orchestrated plan to allow a convenient settlement. I don’t believe this whole we destroy them and they destroy us dialogue.

A decision that no one is happy with.

 

[bigA]

The longer this goes on, the more I think that the Premier League haven't got any real irrefutable proof of any wrongdoing or they are busy fabricating evidence against us. If they had any conclusive and irrefutable proof then surely the matter would have been dealt with very swiftly indeed.

All this is doing is showing that there is a fucking massive smear campaign being heaped upon the club by parties who are feeling very threatened that their "entitled" positions in the hierarchy of domestic and European football is under severe threat of being taken from them. If or when we beat this case, we need to start bringing those who tried to damage the clubs name, reputation and standing to account. Der Spiegel, Javier Tebas, David Gill, Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and their other clubs who put their names on that letter, the Premier League and UEFA for starters. They are the REAL corrupt ones, not City.

 

[eyalluvitt]

Look I haven't read this entire thread (who has?). But I've sort of followed this farrago at a distance. Just read @Chris in London 's excellent summary of the state of play. Now something I've never been terribly clear on: in what way, on what grounds, and according to what specific charges does the basis of the PL's case against us differ from UEFA's?
Unless it be that we haven't particularly cooperated with the PL, any more than we cooperated with UEFA (so we're likely to get a hefty fine, or at worst a points deduction).
Or have I get it every which way wrong?
As for the non-cooperation, it has always seemed to me like this, according to the information I've read like everyone else. If a copper came up and arrested you in the street, and took you down the station, and the Detective Superintendent or whoever else said, “You're charged with this. We believe you're guilty, you are guilty, and you are now going to help us establish your guilt”… well, you wouldn't exactly feel cooperative, would you? Why would you cooperate when a) you're firmly convinced of your innocence and b) there is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty?

I think we cooperated initially when FFP started and they did the dirty on us by moving the goalposts right before we posted our accounts and did us anyway. Since then we have treated them with the total and utter contempt they deserve

 

[eastmanc]

Well one of our charges was for having long grass, so you never know :)

And our Premier league badge was too big.

 

[eastmanc]

I think we cooperated initially when FFP started and they did the dirty on us by moving the goalposts right before we posted our accounts and did us anyway. Since then we have treated them with the total and utter contempt they deserve

Was that clause 11?

 

[eyalluvitt]

At the same point in the UEFA case...

"Why the fuck would UEFA go to this extreme" without thinking they have proof?

... but the difference then was that we had recourse to genuinely independent arbitration in CAS.

My big worry is just how independent will the IC and a second IC (appeal process) be?

I know Stefan has tried to reassure us on this point but I still worry.

Rangers were almost destroyed by this kind of kangaroo court full of haters, ten years later it was deemed a malicious prosecution but the damage to the club finances and playing squad were enormous

 

[Asa's left peg]

I want it to be all in or nothing. We are either guilty and receive the punishment that goes with that or we are cleared completely and can finally move on.
We take a fine or a point and the cheat accusations stay with us forever.

It feels like another Prime doc, 'All In or Nothing'.

Maybe Robert de Niro as Khaldoon and Jack Nicolson as Lord Pannick!

I'd probably go with Les Dennis or Coco the clown as Masters.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

I see the wet fanny calling others wet fannies-brigade are out.

 

[eyalluvitt]

Either way it doesn’t look good, they accuse the vice president of Abu Dhabi of industrial strength fraud and throw a £4 billion asset out of the Premier League. Other way is City destroy the Premier League in court leaving public opinion in uproar as City ‘got off’.

Very true, it’s a lose/lose scenario for everyone

 

[ayrshire_blue]

Rangers were almost destroyed by this kind of kangaroo court full of haters, ten years later it was deemed a malicious prosecution but the damage to the club finances and playing squad were enormous

I don't know why this keeps needing to be repeated but situations with Rangers and what we're going through aren't comparable in any shape or form.

Rangers FC were liquidated, ceased to exist. They had to start again and were voted in to league 2 by member clubs as the level which the new club would begin that process.

There was no damage to the playing squad because there wasn't one. Players were no longer under contract because the company which they originally signed with no longer existed.

The two situations and allegations are worlds apart.

 

[eyalluvitt]

I don't know why this keeps needing to be repeated but situations with Rangers and what we're going through aren't comparable in any shape or form.

Rangers FC were liquidated, ceased to exist. They had to start again and were voted in to league 2 by member clubs as the level which the new club would begin that process.

There was no damage to the playing squad because there wasn't one. Players were no longer under contract because the company which they originally signed with no longer existed.

The two situations and allegations are worlds apart.

missing the point, we could suffer a similar fate of having our income and playing staff decimated because of spurious allegations by very bitter hate filled people

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

I see the wet fanny calling others wet fannies-brigade are out.

You can't have too many wet fannies.

 

[I'm Blue]

Anyone else have a bad feeling about all this? Worried?

Originally maybe, but as time has passed no.
The more I hear and see the more I believe it’s a witch-hunt.
I’ve gone from being slightly worried to finding the whole thing funny.
The way we’re being reported on, the way other fans are obsessed with us.
Add to that the fact that some fans are finally waking up to what ffp/psr is all about and now crying about it.
I love reading all the comments and seeing piss being boiled on an industrial scale.
A few of my current favourites..
“Small club”
“They’ll get away with it cos the PL won’t punish one of the big boys”
Hmmmmmm : )
“The PL is corrupt”
Never enters their small minds that the corruption just maybe again us.
I’m just enjoying the ride.
All part of being a City fan.
I made it through relegation,Stuart Pearce and the day we ran out of chips so I’m sure I’ll be alright.

 

[jockblue]

Sorry Eyalluvitt, but legally and factually thats exactly what happened. The whys and wherefores of whether it should have happened that way or at all are a separate debate and not for here, but thems the facts. The one thing I think we can all agree on is that its off topic for here....

 

[ayrshire_blue]

Utter nonsense

None of what I posted is nonsense, all of it is factual and can be easily sourced. What you are posting is disinformation, sadly the internet is rife with this stuff and it's why the sporting world on social media is where it is today.

 

[bluemanchester]

If City do find themselves in the situation you have described then i would hope we are clever enough to ensure that once this unfortunate situation is cleared up, the club demands a seat at the top table alongside the rags and dips. That has been the aim all along, namely to be accepted as a ‘big’ club and not one that is constantly attacked.

They throw us a guarantee and we give them an out. I have feeling that the decision will not be a win for anyone but a well thought out orchestrated plan to allow a convenient settlement. I don’t believe this whole we destroy them and they destroy us dialogue.
⁷
A decision that no one is happy with.

I interpret Khaldoons original statement differently. I read it as this is a fight to clear our name and he will not be satisfied with a fudge outcome when he has irrefutable evidence to present against the allegations. As for a seat at the top table, we are at the moment the top table. What we have is previous occupants trying to saw the table legs off and when they do the table will crash down on them and hopefully squash their media lackeys with them, so ushering in a new and friendlier landscape in the football and football media world. Here's hoping;-(

 

[eyalluvitt]

Sorry Eyalluvitt, but legally and factually thats exactly what happened. The whys and wherefores of whether it should have happened that way or at all are a separate debate and not for here, but thems the facts. The one thing I think we can all agree on is that its off topic for here....

That’s what happened on planet Celtic but not in the real world

 

[Wretched Vengeance]

This article was posted on a Facebook page called "Super City From Maine Road" and was posted by the Admin of the page. Maybe of interest. Text from the article below.

FFP - A PREMIER LEAGUE OWN GOAL

For the first time in the entire history of the FFP narrative, the focus has shifted (slightly) away from City and other clubs in the financial spotlight, and it’s moving towards “FFP is not working and it’s hindering clubs progress”

So let’s get all this straight…
Premier League clubs voted in favour of FFP rules in early 2013, following the 2009 UEFA review of clubs spending and sustainability (less than a year after City’s takeover)
And now it turns out that the rules don’t just affect the top clubs, but every club no matter where they are in the league, which was fine and dandy… Until the Premier League started docking points for breaking those rules.

Now, we all know that despite these rules being presented as a fluffy, unicorn filled dream where no club will ever need go hungry again, they were brought in to limit mega wealthy club owners such as (at the time) Roman Abramovic and of course; City Football Group.
Meanwhile City have won the absolute lot and Chelsea continue to spend money like it’s going out of fashion but cant win a one ticket raffle, but that’s beside the point for now.

The last transfer window was completely dead, with multiple clubs claiming poverty, that is, relative poverty to FFP.
Arsenal for example couldn’t go in for the players they wanted because they would have passed the FFP threshold in doing so.
Similar was said by other clubs who needed to strengthen but couldn’t despite having the funds to do so.
Then we have the case of Newcastle United… The richest football club in the world, but can’t buy any world class talent off the shelf without the threat of having the man on their back.
Stoke City are in the same boat. Championship FFP rules are aligned with the Premier League. Stoke are owned by the people who created BET365, multi billionaires who can’t spend any money that will meaningfully benefit the progress of their club.
Meanwhile Notts Forest and Everton are having points taken off them during a season where they are fighting for league survival.
Where does this all end?
Who will stand up against these ridiculous regulations that are choking the financial power traditionally associated with the English top flight?

Well I’ll tell you who…. MANCHESTER CITY.

During the initial FFP vote in 2013, six clubs voted against the new rules. Three of those clubs are no longer in this league and the remaining three are Fulham, Aston Villa and the Treble Winning Champions of the World.
City’s bosses saw right through the facade from the beginning, but the long game had to be played out, this wasn’t going away any time soon.
Fast forward ten years and as predicted, the Premier League charged City under the rules designed from the outset to stop them.
Or so they thought…
When UEFA launched an investigation into City’s finances (under its own separate FFP regulations) they alerted the Premier League to its intentions and began sharing their findings, from which the Premier League began its own investigation using UEFA’s evidence as a template. UEFA concluded City were in breach of rules and banned City from the Champions League.
Unfortunately for both organisations, there was a small problem along the way.
That small problem being that not one single piece of evidence that UEFA presented was able to stand up when viewed independently.
Now this would have been bad enough, had the people who reviewed this evidence been anyone other than… The highest judicial authority in the world for sport.
Luckily for the Premier League, a time barred restriction was placed on a portion of UEFA’s evidence, giving the Premier League a window of opportunity, since there was no time bar limits within the Premier Leagues own regulations.
All systems were go, the green light was on… 115 charges relating to Financial Fair Play and profit and sustainability rules.
However…
City insist they’ve not broken any rules and have openly stated they can prove it.
The Premier Leagues charges are as we speak, being independently reviewed by a time served King’s counsel Barrister.
This process is private and confidential by order of…. The Premier League.
No information is allowed to be discussed with third parties including the press, TV media and other private individuals and organisations.
It’s completely hush until the day the independent commission report is published.

When that day arrives, (around June 17th according to some unofficial sources) it will be the end of FFP as we know it.
In the time it took to legislate for City, allow City the time to go ahead and actually “break the rules,” investigate them, charge them and then independently review everything… the Premier League have potentially relegated two clubs, stopped its richest club spending any money, limited its title contenders squad options and caused a knock on effect of club legal action against one another as well as from clubs below them in other leagues.
All this to try and stop the Treble Winning Champions of the World from undermining the established, traditional order at the top of the pyramid.
When the truth finally comes out, the last thing Everton, Forest and Newcastle will be worried about is money. They will be more concerned with the fact that the administration of the very league they compete in has used them as sacrificial lambs as a means to an end that had nothing to do with them.
I highly doubt Premier League CEO Richard Masters sleeps very well at night knowing what’s coming this year regarding City “charges,” but that’s not the only thing giving him anxiety…
What will people think when the severely underreported revelations from 2020 resurface? Namely the fact that Liverpool and Man united had special access to vet Richard Masters as a candidate in the running to be Premier League CEO.
Masters was the League committee’s fourth choice for the role, the other three miraculously decided the job wasn’t for them, leaving the reds lap dog as the only option left.
FFP is just the start, the corruption and manipulation will all come to light.
City have already ruined the party, but to what extent the party has been ruined is still behind closed doors for as long as City have a case to answer.
Those doors will be opening within a matter of weeks and no prisoners will be taken.
Often the question is asked, “If they are innocent, why didn’t City just cooperate?…”

…It’s simple; City do not negotiate with terrorists.
City knew from the start that FFP was a sniper scope aimed at the Etihad.
City knew they were being baited into proceeding with no regard for the new rules.
City knew what the agenda was, who was behind it and how it was being played out the entire time.
That’s why City so confidently state they have done nothing wrong.
Because the last thing City were ever going to do after 2013 was give the Premier League a valid reason to attack.
Their hand was forced with talk of a Government Regulator coming in and the evidence against City will be the same tripe it was when it began in the office of the UEFA FFP panel, the leader of which ended up in a French prison on corruption charges…

Word to the wise… Start getting your apologies ready by the end of spring. City are about to save Football, and it’s going to be BIBLICAL.

- Admin, Super City from Maine Road

Stupendous.