Evening DD, yes not too bad, although predictably stressing about this malarkey!
I’ve had some (albeit limited) dealings with the Courts in a work capacity, and the one constant has been the sheer unpredictability of events. Judges’ unique and unexpected interpretations of either evidence or the law itself, the reluctance of juries to convict, backstage negotiations, etc etc.
Part of me is loathe to believe that people like Sorriano would stand up and lie to us (the supporters), and that we would surely not be taking whatever path we’ve chosen without having sought and heeded the best legal advice money can buy, but I’m also concerned that that chosen path may lead only to a game of Russian Roulette. I think we already passed the point of no return when we (allegedly) told Ceferin to shove his deal up his arse, but in light of the AC’s decision (and Stefan has said they’re generally well thought of) I’m far from convinced that we haven’t misjudged what we’re dealing with. Being a financial/accountancy duffer I’m probably missing something obvious, but if our money has been properly accounted for, as we insist it has, then as part of the supporting elite in an autocracy I don’t know why we haven’t drawn a veil over proceedings by having Etihad open their books to show UEFA (however much it’s none of those nosey fuckers’ business) the relevant entries. Or maybe we already have and the AC has decided to place its faith in the hacked emails instead? To hang a 2 year ban on that though, would seem harsh in my opinion, but if they believe we lied then perhaps that would account for the severity.
Next up is CAS, and I’m not even fully sure what their remit is, but my spidey-senses lead me to think we may have to pull a real rabbit out of the hat to get anything out of them. Not because there isn’t obvious evidence of pre-judgement and leaking from the UEFA camp, and not because CAS are crooked, but because this is potentially the biggest decision they’ve ever had to make, and with a global spotlight burning down, I wouldn’t bet against them taking the safe option of preserving the status quo rather than the leap into the unknown.
The trouble for City is that if CAS go for the former and we then pursue UEFA through the Swiss Courts, whatever already limited support we have amongst the wider public, will evaporate in a heartbeat. The media certainly will go into complete meltdown about the “bullying cheats” effectively refusing to accept the decision of a reputable and independent body (albeit one whose potentially limited remit in this instance may not suit our needs), and we are probably outnumbered one hundred fold by rags, dippers and Arsenal fans as it is when it comes to the influence of opinion.
I have not the slightest inkling as to whether we’re guilty or not, but I do think that the deck is stacked in UEFA’s favour, however many City blogs I read telling me how much evidence we’ve got and how corrupt UEFA is. Our reputation has already been shot to pieces and in true, glass half empty, EB style, I’m not convinced it’s not gonna get a whole lot worse. I just don’t see a way out now in terms of a negotiated settlement. A shame as I’m sick and tired of the whole fucking business. I just want to go and watch my team without having a burning sense of anger and injustice bubbling inside me, and all over a deal that could barely be considered inflated in the fucking first place! Still, a long way to go and I like to think we have sufficient clout at governmental levels for any punishment to be suitably tempered, but it all feels very uneasy to me
