PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[bluemonkey71]

I don't want to start another thread, but how will you feel and what will you do if we're cleared of these charges.

The length of time this has been going on and the extent of abuse and shite found in the media and social media alike, it's going to feel fucking amazing to be let off. I reckon a commemorative shirt and a bus parade are the least we could do to mark it.

City need to go full Paddy Power and take the absolute piss. 115 special edition merchandise. Claim it's celebrating an anniversary when it clearly isn't. Khaldoon and Pep sat next to Lord Pannick wearing the shirt and smoking cigars.

Sorry to be picky but "let off"? Found to have not broken the rules I think you meant.

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

It depends what you’re accepting, no? If you end up accepting you’ve cheated to win titles, the optics are awful. If you’re accepting that you didn’t cooperate as expected…not so bad.

Then you have to think about the possibility of the panel finding against us and the potential punishments. If there is a real chance of expulsion and all that comes with it, then a 6 point penalty and being labelled cheats (nothing new there) all of a sudden doesn’t look so bad when the alternative is oblivion.

We don’t know if the settlement offer is true or not but I would like to to think that the guys in charge are savvy enough to make the right decisions.

If we have been offered 6 points the most serious of charges surely won’t stand scrutiny
Therefore if we go to trial and are found guilty surely the penalty would be around 12/15 points ?
If that’s the case let’s roll the dice

 

[slbsn]

I had a personal case & my solicitor told me 90% get settled without having to go to the hearing.

2 things stuck with me with his advice. Your case is too strong so they will make an offer even if late. You could lose for no other reason than the arbitrator takes a dislike to you.

Result was they made an offer 2 weeks before the hearing & I accepted cos I wasn’t taking that risk.

Most cases don't have the political issue the PL has here - optically difficult for them to settle without City accepting wrongdoing which City are naturally reluctant to do. The parties really should have found a way to settle before the charges but likely too late now.

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

If either party was going to fold I suspect it would’ve happened by now
It’s going to be a long few of months waiting for the trial verdict with daily non-sensical article's appearing
Didn’t someone say a few months ago the case was over and the PL was just working on a media/ exit strategy
That hasn’t happened unfortunately

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

Most cases don't have the political issue the PL has here - optically difficult for them to settle without City accepting wrongdoing which City are naturally reluctant to do. The parties really should have found a way to settle before the charges but likely too late now.

We could do the same as CAS a fine for non co-operation made clear the charges were not proven

 

[GortonBlue62]

Most cases don't have the political issue the PL has here - optically difficult for them to settle without City accepting wrongdoing which City are naturally reluctant to do. The parties really should have found a way to settle before the charges but likely too late now.

If case hadn't been forced out in the open (Daily Mail was it?) maybe there would have been a settlement.

 

[Elbow beards]

Where's all this talk about being offered a 6 point deduction come from?

 

[cheekybids]

Most cases don't have the political issue the PL has here - optically difficult for them to settle without City accepting wrongdoing which City are naturally reluctant to do. The parties really should have found a way to settle before the charges but likely too late now.

That’s for certain. I know you’ve explained it won’t be the forum but I’d really like to know why the premier league decided to go with the press release & 115 because once that happened there was no opportunity to broker a deal. War had broken out.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

If either party was going to fold I suspect it would’ve happened by now
It’s going to be a long few of months waiting for the trial verdict with daily non-sensical article's appearing
Didn’t someone say a few months ago the case was over and the PL was just working on a media/ exit strategy
That hasn’t happened unfortunately

It sounds like it was over if we'd accepted the slap on the wrist points. That sounds like an exit strategy to me.

 

[marco]

It sounds like it was over if we'd have accepted the slap on the wrist points. That sounds like an exit strategy to me.

wasnt just the points though there was a large fine involved, i dont know 5 million or 105 million, it could be anything if it was a large amount as reported, think the club have gone the correct route,why should will fill the PLs coffers on demand

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

That’s for certain. I know you’ve explained it won’t be the forum but I’d really like to know why the premier league decided to go with the press release & 115 because once that happened there was no opportunity to broker a deal. War had broken out.

I also find that interesting!
The PL states Everton charged , Forest charged
No mention of the number of charges
But specifically mentioned 115 then we find out that’s even incorrect it’s something like 130

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

wasnt just the points though there was a large fine involved, i dont know 5 million or 105 million, it could be anything if it was a large amount as reported, think the club have gone the correct route,why should will fill the PLs coffers on demand

I trust we have a very good chance of defending ourselves and believe our Chairman would’ve brokered a deal if he thought we were guilty
He stated we had significant evidence to prove our innocence and I hope and pray we do
However
It just feels like an almighty gamble
Such a shame a deal couldn’t have been done
If found guilty we are facing oblivion

 

[Braggster]

Most cases don't have the political issue the PL has here - optically difficult for them to settle without City accepting wrongdoing which City are naturally reluctant to do. The parties really should have found a way to settle before the charges but likely too late now.

Agreed. This nails it IMO.

I was involved in a very similar case in this regard (allegations of fraud dating back many years, huge financial and reputational risks, high costs, non-financial drivers for both parties). It did settle but I think the key difference there was that there was more middle ground that would satisfy both parties. (I think settling was absolutely the right thing to do in that case, FWIW.)

Here, it's hard to see how City can settle on any aspect other than non cooperation, even if the settlement was relatively minor. A 6 point penalty and fine, for example, is small beer compared to what will happen if we lose on the key issues in front of the IC. But the reputational damage of those terms, and the long standing taint it would leave on past and future achievements, is so bad that I can't see City accepting that unless our substantive case was really shaky (even if on a purely probabilistic view it would be the correct thing to do).

And the PL have kind of the same problem in reverse. It's worse for them to settle just on cooperation, say, and take the substantive charges off the table, than it is to go to the IC and lose badly, getting criticised and stung for costs, because EVEN IF the substantive case for the PL is really weak, the perception will (quite wrongly) be that they caved. This is actually a common problem for regulatory bodies like the SFO, HMRC, FCA etc. Although those bodies - well certainly HMRC - have much better governance frameworks for taking these decisions than the PL seems to.

Masters is and has been in a difficult spot here but it does seem like he hasn't been up to the task, I would say.

 

[mimicmickmickdoyle]

We're definitely fucked as this Football 365 are very reliable ....

View attachment 132359

I'd like to bet it would be quite the opposite.

 

[searsleftpeg]

Is this witch hunt being held under the normal adversarial judicial process we have in this country or is it a fact finding process as an inquest for instance.
I have a slight concern ,because of my personal experiences of the adversarial system is, it ,depends ,not on facts and truth, but who is better at arguing and sound bites. Everyone seems sure our K.C.is top notch so perhaps justice will be done.
I have the utmost faith belief and admiration for our owners,their intelligence and integrity must surely be obvious to any judge. Whereas it's obvious to any one unbiased that these characters simply jumped up to stop City.

 

[Gordyola]

If case hadn't been forced out in the open (Daily Mail was it?) maybe there would have been a settlement.

It was the investigation that was made public when the judge rejected an appeal by City, supported by the PL, to keep City’s case asking the court to stop the PL seeking confidential documents to support an investigation private Once the PL announced the charges which they would’ve done anyhow

 

[Brendan110_0]

It just feels like an almighty gamble
Such a shame a deal couldn’t have been done
If found guilty we are facing oblivion

No we're not, it's news sensationalism. Football was ending a few months ago because City had the gall to challenge a rule modification they think is illegal. The vitriol over "tyranny of the majority" was funny though.

 

[JewelZee]

We aren't the recipient to the good here. A settlement for us is akin to accepting a plea. Obviously we are extremely confident of our not being guilty...

 

[johnnytapia]

Actually it’s my lads’ homework.

I wasn’t to know you had more than one lad!

 

[KS55]

In my career in liability insurance I have been involved in dozens, if not hundreds of legal actions. The vast majority of these cases (probably upwards of 90%) settle before they get to court. In my experience this is down to two things. The first is the uncertainty of the outcome in a civil case and the second, and by far the biggest consideration, is the cost of litigation. It’s often much cheaper to settle a matter than have it proceed through the legal process to trial and possibly appeal.

So far, it doesn’t look like either side in this matter are thinking about the uncertainty or the cost.

Khaldoon has made it clear he will spend whatever it takes. I think the exact quote was: “ I will spend unlimited amounts to grind these bastards into the ground.”