PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[bluenova]

You really have to remember the timing of the charges. City were “struggling” by their recent standards and Pep had expressed his public displeasure and Arsenal had a good lead in the PL. United were even talking about a possible “quad”. The announcement was framed for maximum damage, the press was being briefed while City were still being informed about charges. They had zero expectation that City would land a pure treble at that point - it was thought more likely that Pep might walk away. I suspect the PL are now a little conflicted. Watching Masters’ performance at the HoC committee was an eye-opener - he was so unbelievably lightweight. Can’t see him surviving.
Football seems to be rapidly globalising and City happen to be sat right at the top of the tree, so I agree with your general point - though that was not how they thought things would turn out for one second. But, the die is now cast and they have to deal with it. Add the known geo-political realities into the mix (Mansour at the Coronation, Mansour with Erdogan in Istanbul, multi-billion UK investment pipeline etc) The PL is in way over its head.

I realise you're not suggesting that the charges were timed as an attack when City were weak, but City's position at the time of the charges was totally irrelevant.

They were clearly timed in relation to the Govt White Paper discussing an independent regulator for football, which was due just a few days later.

 

[west didsblue]

Absolutely this
I notice that the WhatsApp wankers Delooney, Harris and McGeehan have been unusually silent about it all as well
Especially as they are usually all over anything slagging us like a tramp on chips
Wasn’t the latter even featured in the video?
If he’s involved then doubt it would be Qatar. That was a deliberate attempt at deflection/distraction imo by the Times, to try and hide the true identities of the culprits
Strange indeed the WhatsApp group silence. Almost like they are all collectively trying not to draw attention to themselves all of a sudden….

They’ve put their own video on YouTube. It’s an hour long so can’t be arsed watching it. Hatchet job on CAS from what I can see.

Apologies if this has already been posted and discussed or if this is the one people are already talking about.

 

[manimanc]

Nothing will come of it, i'm very confident of that. I like to come on here and read the stressheads opinions though.

You calling me a stresshead :)

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Apologies, I conflated the two. Etisalat is the one I’m talking about currently. Leaving the time barring issue to one side, how is ADUG effectively paying their sponsorship money for them for 2 years, not disguised equity funding?

Because it was later reimbursed by Etislat and City were open about it. It was all accounted for. It has also been suggested on here by one poster that what happened is the contract was being renewed and the new contract going forward required the sponsor money to be paid direct to ADUG who then passed it on to City. Perhaps the reasoning was that a lot of our sponsors also owe payments to other CFG teams and City are only allocated their share so it has to be administered centrally. I am just speculating but as far as I understand what City did was not disguised in any way and the audits were fine. It wasn't illegal and doesn't look like a breach of any UEFA rules on FFP.

 

[manimanc]

Let's try to move on from our gooner pet. He won't be taking part in this thread again.

These gooners on here are a thorn in our side. They always show their true colours in the end.

 

[KS55]

I know exactly where’s you’re coming from Fuzzy.

And while we should (and will) leave no stone unturned to ensure as independent as possible a panel, I am also reassured by the fact that regardless of the integrity of the charges themselves, in our pocket, we are toting, in the words of our Chairman, in whom I place inexorable trust, ‘irrefutable evidence’.

The Irrefutable evidence is our audited accounts and the paperwork to back those up.
CAS agreed that there would have to have been a massive conspiracy by City, its auditors and its sponsors for that to happen and dismissed the idea.
But remember UEFA investigatory chamber saw the audited accounts and still found us guilty. Is the PL capable of such egregious behaviour?

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Exactly.

Been saying this for years, that there's a story (or even two or three..) to be uncovered and told about who's been driving this vendetta against City for the past decade and a half.

All it would take is for one of the lard-arse UK sports journalists, helped by an expert finance journalist or other, to either get off that lard-arse or else to grow the cojones (..or even both..) to do the hard yards and investigate it all, then bring into public discussion and awareness.

I hasten to add, I won't be holding my breath while they decide to do so..

The Times made a fool of themselves. The dirty tricks war being waged behind the scenes is a bigger news story than a re-heated piece of evidence from the CAS papers which has already been published by the Guardian in 2020. If Matt Lawton had any integrity he would investigate who produced the video and what their motives are. Why did the Times choose to share the story with a discredited individual like Piers Morgan?
Mind you the English press did not carry a single line of the damning evidence (involving clubs all over Europe) from the year-long Rui Pinto trial. They just ignored it because City were not mentioned. Perhaps as Jack Nicolson said in "A few good men" they "cant handle the truth.

 

[halfcenturyup]

Because it was later reimbursed by Etislat and City were open about it. It was all accounted for. It has also been suggested on here by one poster that what happened is the contract was being renewed and the new contract going forward required the sponsor money to be paid direct to ADUG who then passed it on to City. Perhaps the reasoning was that a lot of our sponsors also owe payments to other CFG teams and City are only allocated their share so it has to be administered centrally. I am just speculating but as far as I understand what City did was not disguised in any way and the audits were fine. It wasn't illegal and doesn't look like a breach of any UEFA rules on FFP.

 

[Gray]

So Jack is no longer allowed to “hack it?”

 

[Inter Me Nan]

You calling me a stresshead :)

Touche young man.