The Real enemies of Football

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

I really enjoyed this and believe it speaks volumes

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...s-football-lost-Manchester-City-NOT-away.html

Very good read as always

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

When we were utter dog shit I was quite happy when Chelsea got taken over as it broke up the rags monopoly on the league. It was refreshing to see a new team at the top of league and even more refreshing seeing Chelsea wipe the floor with them and seeing self doubt creep in with the rags. Could you imagine how boring this league would be if Mansour and Abramovic would not have rocked up? We would be in a situation like we see all around europe where the big teams qualify for the champions league every year and the gap gets bigger and bigger between the haves and the have nots.

I felt pretty much the same.
More importantly I know many liverpool fans who were glad of it at the time. Anything that halted United's procession.

 

[bornblueegg]

I spoke to my mates (pool fans) after the 10 years and reminded them of the incident where they said ' as a club we are a play thing' and to be honest they both were praying that it wasn't real. Now their quotes are we're just trying to hang on to your coat tails as long as possible this season... We've come a long way

 

[blue b4 the moon]

You have to laugh or not at the comments.
The fact that they state "City have broken the rules and deserved to be punished" shows their absolute ignorance on FFP and the truth in the current belief that if you throw enough shit a lot will stick. So for fans of others who are still foaming at the mouth, a brief resume, as I understand it...particularly for Chelsea holier than thou fans
1. The likes of Chelsea Arsenal UTD Liverpool etc were allowed to build their brands and invest hugely in the top players and wages completely unfettered by the likes of FFP creating their own little mini league of top four which was untouchable for most of the rest of the PL for years. Ensuring bumper incomes from CL qualification year on year to establish their unassailable place at the top of the EPL. A nice little cosy arrangement.
2. When City were taken over, steps were already being taken by the cosy G14 clubs of Europe to put a stop to another "Chelsea" by incorporating FFP as a necessity. City knew it was coming and so having employed the three people who wrote the UEFA FFP rules began a series of player investments to arrive at the critical point where the rules kicked in to just scrape through. Yes some of the funding was morally questionable through the means by which it makes its way into our primary sponsors at this time but seemingly not either illegal or against the rules. Yes thats right muppets, monies paid into none related parties businesses is nothing to do with UEFA (its the rules see)
3. Just so we can be clear it seems UEFA use the recognised accountancy practices to recognise Related Parties, IAS24 I believe which clearly indicates what is and isn't a related party. Related Parties are the only sponsorship deals by which UEFA could insist on "Fair Value". Now back in 2013 there was somewhat of a bun fight as to what Citys independent auditors and UEFAs (Price Cooper Waterhouse I think) interpreted as a related party with City winning out in the end. So neither ETIHAD or AABAR or FARNHAM are related parties. If any of them wanted to allow a third party company to buy a paperclip for a million quid there is nothing UEFA could say or do. It seems that AD companies certainly have propped up some of these companies enabling full payment of their required sponsorship deals to City but again this is NOT against the rules you are so fond of quoting.
4. SO just when everything was all seemingly above board and we were relying on the "Rules" as written down which would have allowed us to exclude certain player payments made prior to a particular date we submitted our accountancy figures openly for all to see not privately in the Cayman Islands like some. UEFA chose this moment to ahem "revise" their ruling on exclusions relating to previous player payments. Thus City spectacularly failed the FFP test. Apparently this action was all at the bidding of the infamous G14. Now businessmen of Citys standing do not take being had over very lightly and of course we complained vehemently as you would expect. When the likely fines were discussed Khaldoon AL Mubarak, Citys chairman I believe openly stated he would rather spend the £30 million proposed fine on lawyers taking FFP to court to have it tested under European anti-competitive laws. Now up to this point FFP has not been tested and there is genuine doubt it may not pass that litmus test. So to try to keep everyone sweet Infantino then UEFA secretary of sorts brokered a compromise deal, as is allowed under FFP rules (yes those pesky things again) and City agreed not to take UEFA to court and pay a suspended £16 million fine and suffered a reduction in player squad size for European Competition for the following 12 months. A slap on the wrist and a tacit implied agreement with FFP rules. However its expected that these sanctions were certainly on a "Final and Binding" concept and would not be revisited.
5. SO City failed, were punished and everyone got on with it.
6. Since that point success on the pitch and a huge rise in commercial income from NONE Abu Dhabi sponsors has seen MCFC income hit 500 Million this year with ETIHAD and other Abu Dhabi companies responsible for approx 70 Million. (14%). SO all good yes? Apparently not.
7. Some tosser hacked into CItys IT and managed to steal 70 million documents and emails. A wholly illegal act. Obviously there are some internal emails which don't make particularly good reading for those who like to moralise about football finance particularly some executives speech narratives in relation to contempt for UEFA and others who would see to stop City doing what they want. Not particularly attractive I admit. However all the current Der Spiegel revelations amount to revisiting what has already been inspected, visited, agreed and sanctioned. We particularly enjoy reading German journalists pontificating about financial irregularity while quoting convicted crook and shyster Uli Hoeness (Bravo). Indeed some of the spleen venting and frankly impartial and vitriolic wording was that of a bitter Bayern Munich Fan of Kindergarten age. How dare we bid for and get Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane under the noses of those paragons of virtue Bayern Munchen. Oh and Wolfsburgs sponsors VW were not averse to a little skullduggery either. Ask a few million car owners.
SO now the media are full of spittle lined red faced journos of red tops and of course City's favourite detractors, mostly mouthpieces of other organisations with vested interests who have nothing to say. All want City Fined, Banned, Castrated Financially, Hung out to Dry for daring to get ones feet under the murky table. Will anything ensue? Can UEFA in all conscience do anything at the G14's request with the threat of a European Super League hanging in the air. UEFA are not averse to the moving of goal posts to satisfy the self serving requirements of the G14 so we wait with baited breath.

I would suggest if they try such a move on this occasion they will meet with the full force of Citys legal furore.
It won't be pretty but we will get an answer as to FFP, Right or Wrong. May I be so bold as to predict, in the event of such a debacle that a legal fudge is likely to be the outcome where neither party is satisfied and each will have contributed to the pension pots of QC's throughout Europe.
Meanwhile the real mischief makers will be whistling dixie and laughing all the way to a Super League.

If that's your own work it's a brilliant post.

***Yearns for the days of being able to quote full posts with +1 etc by 20 odd people, would drive the mods wild ;)

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Yeah actually a good article... Though it sounds like he's acknowldging City are here to stay but that we will collapse as soon as Pep leaves.

We probably will fall away a little bit when Pep goes. It will take years to adjust. I think it’s a fair comment. It’s why we should savour every second of what we’re seeing because it will never be this good again.

 

[eastmanc]

That’s a great article, very fair appraisal from Martin Samuels.

 

[eastmanc]

Good article but hope he's wrong about Pep leaving anythime soon.

History tells us that he might be off soon, but the difference at City is that everything that has been put in place over last five years or so has been done for Pep, he has said many times how comfortable and how much he loves it here, so let’s hope that he is here for many seasons to come.

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

Not really. He's saying City will have a challenge when Guardiola leaves and that they aren't destined to win titles year in, year out, irrespective - which is the position in many European leagues. He's right about that, and United demonstrate his point every week.

Liverpool have been demonstrating it for 30 years!!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

How come the Mail seem to have our back lately?

They don't, but they have a journo who writes very good stuff, and this article is right on 'the money' (Hee hee! See what I did there?) Two issues drive the anti-City mob that Samuel highights - they want to freeze time (back a decade) and they want us to go away. If they were interested in the game of football then they could not fail to be, like the Rag starting eleven on Sunday, mesmerised by the beauty of the football we play. They are the philistines who would put a knife through the Mona Lisa or knock off the head of Michaelangelo's David, and then grab a daubing from their fridge door and say "Hey, this'll do for beautiful!"

 

[JYKelly]

History tells us that he might be off soon, but the difference at City is that everything that has been put in place over last five years or so has been done for Pep, he has said many times how comfortable and how much he loves it here, so let’s hope that he is here for many seasons to come.

Not wishing to decry Peps acheivements, but I feel this is truly Peps team. And it's a team with no Ego's. The first and only time he has been able to enjoy putting together all his theories and dreams into players he has recruited, nurtured and improved beyond belief. Another source of contention for our noisy neighbours is that the only true comparison to Pep is Sir Matt Busby and the ill fated Babes. Stay here, Pep and enjoy the dream. I know we are.