PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[metalblue]

As someone who personally led the defence of major false accounting claims in civil proceedings, prosecuted a civil claim for negligence against an auditor and for over 5 years led the (successful) defence of a public company being investigated by the SFO, I'd say my speculation is well founded. I say that merely to establish my own credibility on these matters.

There is simply no other way to read section 1 of the PL charges. These matters rarely start with the SFO but they can progress to the SFO (not that I am saying that will happen).

Naturally, during cases evidence can come to light that attract the interest of the SFO (or others) or be escalated to them.

Investigations by regulatory bodies where their own powers are limited and where illegal activities are suspected, would normally be escalated to those who have greater powers of investigation and ability to seize documents etc. They will almost certainly have an obligation to do so where they lack the power.

At this stage there is no evidence to support criminal proceedings.

 

[Eric Hitchmough]

During this shit storm, there is no way that Pep should face the media by himself in press conferences. He’s not a solicitor or accountant and shouldn’t have to field questions about the allegations.
There needs to be someone by his side who will shut down any journalists who go down that route. Start banning them if they continue

I don’t think he will face them alone. Simon Heggie will sit next to him I imagine, and will nip it in the bud at the start of the presser, or at least try to.

 

[Fred_Quimby]

This has probably been answered somewhere else in the 500 pages so apologies.

As I read it there are 115(?) Charges against us of falsifying accounts, which must include such things as tax evasion? If this was true and we were a firm, like BP, wouldn't the police be breaking down the doors and confiscating computers and accounts with the HMRC and SFO involved? Instead we have a private investigation. Most odd.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Same mate. I hardly slept. Feels like they’ve gone nuclear on us. We used to be everyone’s second team, now we’re almost universally despised. It wears you down.

It does mate but never forget WE’RE CITY TIL WE DIE. As Eccles Blue would say, THE BOYS IN BLUE NEVER GIVE IN

 

[ytic04]

If our investors are accused of being complicit in falsifying would they be getting involved separately at any point.?

 

[chaddblue]

Another day of going fuck all work cos I’m checking this thread every 5 minutes for updates

 

[M18CTID]

I still find it difficult to comprehend what happened yesterday. At a stroke, the PL have accused us of the most serious corporate crimes, false accounting over a prolonged period. In layman’s terms, they have alleged that our board are systemic cheats and criminals.

The legal process will take fucking years to sort this out and all the time with that label hanging over our head with all of the implications that has for future sponsors and transfer activity And winning of trophies. We may win at the high court in 10 years time but what damage will we have sustained by then.

If our case is rock steady can we not take action against the PL now for defamation and a blatant serious and sustained attack on our club? Can we take action against members of the PL board as individuals. I would like us to be ultra aggressive with the media. If they report any of this other than they are unproven allegations then go for their throats. We have taken a passive and forgiving stance throughout this war and look where it has got us.

I cannot see how things can go back to ‘normal’ after this.

Yep - this one really could drag on for years and years. The UEFA investigation - as much as it was a ballache for the club - and the subsequent CAS appeal were completed in about 20 months from when the Der Spiegel articles first appeared, and part of that time was when the pandemic was on which no doubt slowed the appeal process down a bit. As such, it didn't prove too detrimental in terms of attracting new players, etc.

In contrast, it's taken the PL a month or so shy of 4 years just to get to a stage where charges are levelled at us, and even then there is a suspicion that they've rushed things through. How long it now takes for the independent commission to consider all the evidence - and our evidence - is anybody's guess. PL clubs wanting a swift resolution are going to be disappointed I reckon, and it isn't going to do us as a club any favours in terms of forward planning.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

The PL are being used by the red shirts, this is clear. They are desperate to test City on the facts that were time-barred in UEFA's case against us because that, and City being "non-cooperative", is pretty much all they have. I think we have to be careful, though. Once it becomes clear that there's no case to answer, the PL will be a shell of its former self, weak in the eyes of those using it, and THAT is when the new European Super League will be announced - with or without us.

 

[Blue Mist]

Edit
just have a look at the fucking fail this morning. according to them we have a flagrant disregard of rules. They are also running a poll on how we should be punished. Attacks by the media will be ramped up x 10.

Why should I look at that racist piece if shit ?

 

[SWP's back]

I have actually always believed this, but you'll never — never in a million years — get them to admit it. It is the racism that dare not speak its name.
Actually, I think there's something else behind it, which is an even bigger issue, and which is geopolitical. For a long time now, certainly since the first oil shock of 1973, the west has deeply resented the fact that most of the world's petrol was in the Arab countries of the Middle East. (That's apparently changed recently — Venezuela, amazingly, has the world's biggest oil reserves, but nobody resents that of course, and they are followed by Canada — Exxon, Texaco and all the others are very big in Edmonton, of course, and very little attention is being paid to the ecology of Alberta, I was told by Canadians, but hey, everybody's at the trough, eh?)
The west wants unlimited petrol so that everybody can drive cars — gas guzzlers for a long time, incidentally, especially in the States — and the west intensely dislikes the fact that it has to get a fair proportion of it from the Middle East. For some reason, for your average know-nothing Joe Ordinary who supports other clubs, this is “dirty” oil money. Money from white or semi-white countries is not “dirty”. I wonder why.
Be under no illusions. The two gulf wars were about that resource. The Pentagon and the White House (and 10 Downing Street) could not give a flying fuck about the rights of Filipina maids or workers from the Indian sub-continent in places like Saudi Arabia, Qatar… or Abu Dhabi. Still less about the rights of gays and lesbians.

You’re right about latent racism, everything else is incorrect though.