PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[FogBlueInSanFran]

The damage is done totally agree but again we should have stood up to it far stronger.

They have fucked us over big time, but again, if the evidence is "irreputable" why have we allowed it to happen.

The PL have made serious allegations public, this is not the actions of just the red top clubs bitterness, this has gone far more serious, this is the end game for one party, because if the PL lose this, there will be enormous implications for it and hopefully a MASSIVE law suit from us.

I don’t know shit about British law, but if there’s an in, my hope is a revenge suit has to do with restraint of trade — proof FFP was designed specifically to prevent other football clubs from competing. I’ve always thought of City as Amazon and the cartel as Wal-Mart or pick-your-big-national British retailer. I’ve used this analogy several times. Imagine those retailers being allowed to curtail Amazon’s economic growth and ambitions because it was tech-based, venture funded and made net profit accounting losses while it built its business. And imagine such restrictions were in the guise of protecting Amazon’s employees and customers, and the employees and customers of every little podunk Mom and Pop retailer around too. That’s FFP. It’s likely provable with a century’s worth of football financial statements that the correlation between administration and debt/cash flow is exceedingly high (perhaps 1) whereas between net income and administration is low. So why was net income used? We know why.

 

[The perfect fumble]

IF the evidence is irreputable, why should it?

Because the process will ensure that it does.

This isn't like an arm wrestling contest, over in moments, the strongest the winner. This is akin to war, where a sequence of long and costly battles are fought, leading eventually, over time, to a victor.

Looks to me as if the PL don't have a smoking gun to win this quickly, so they've piled the accusations high in the hope that a few might stick. Everything about this tells me there's been a complete breakdown in the relationship between City and the PL. Be under no illusion, there's real hate in all this, as there should be, there's hundreds and hundreds of millions in revenue at stake here.

If ever there was a case for an independent football regulator to bang heads it's this, it's no coincidence this case was brought before we have one.

 

[US47Blue]

Apologies if this has been posted, but i got sent this link which are apparently the hacked emails from Der Spiegel.

Send them this in reply. Already highlighted so those knobs don’t even have to fully read it.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Arrogance?

Never understood why we and others never fought FFP, if we had none of this would have taken place.

I think because we found a way we thought complied — until the goalposts were moved on historical fee amortization after being unclear, and then when we asked for clarification, clarified . . . and then changed once we filed accounts. That’s how I recall it at any rate. How do you fight that? We got trapped/hoodwinked. Back to the issue at hand — a technical violation = murder. There are only two verdicts — innocent but actually guilty, and guilty and under-punished.

 

[Keeper!]

I don’t know shit about British law, but if there’s an in, my hope is a revenge suit has to do with restraint of trade — proof FFP was designed specifically to prevent other football clubs from competing. I’ve always thought of City as Amazon and the cartel as Wal-Mart or pick-your-big-national British retailer. I’ve used this analogy several times. Imagine those retailers being allowed to curtail Amazon’s economic growth and ambitions because it was tech-based, venture funded and made net profit accounting losses while it built its business. And imagine such restrictions were in the guise of protecting Amazon’s employees and customers, and the employees and customers of every little podunk Mom and Pop retailer around too. That’s FFP. It’s likely provable with a century’s worth of football financial statements that the correlation between administration and debt/cash flow is exceedingly high (perhaps 1) whereas between net income and administration is low. So why was net income used? We know why.

100% agree, and hopefully this will be the final outcome.

These prolonged issues have affected the reputation of the club and must have put off sponsors etc.

 

[Keeper!]

I think because we found a way we thought complied — until the goalposts were moved on historical fee amortization after being unclear, and then when we asked for clarification, clarified . . . and then changed once we filed accounts. That’s how I recall it at any rate. How do you fight that? We got trapped/hoodwinked. Back to the issue at hand — a technical violation = murder. There are only two verdicts — innocent but actually guilty, and guilty and under-punished.

Maybe we just screwed up with the emails, I would imagine if you hacked into any major companies email accounts there would be some seriously damaging information in them.

If these hacked emails show we were paying the likes of Mancini off the official accounts or Etihad clearly weren't paying the fees directly we are in deep doo doo.

 

[The perfect fumble]

I think because we found a way we thought complied — until the goalposts were moved on historical fee amortization after being unclear, and then when we asked for clarification, clarified . . . and then changed once we filed accounts. That’s how I recall it at any rate. How do you fight that? We got trapped/hoodwinked. Back to the issue at hand — a technical violation = murder. There are only two verdicts — innocent but actually guilty, and guilty and under-punished.

That's how it was.

The rules were changed after we submitted and we took the pinch, because we were assured it was just enough red meat to keep the wolves from the door, but it was a lie, the wolves have been at us ever since.

City cannot win this as we've already lost, global football is global brand and our brand is in the toilet. We might win this case some ways down the line, but what will we have lost in the meantime?

As I've said, the process is the punishment.

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

Arrogance?

Never understood why we and others never fought FFP, if we had none of this would have taken place.

Maybe it wasn't that simple. Maybe as Khaldoon said it was better to take the pinch. Like you though not something I agreed with.

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

Hopefully everything will come out in the wash.

 

[The perfect fumble]

Maybe it wasn't that simple. Maybe as Khaldoon said it was better to take the pinch. Like you though not something I agreed with.

I'm speculating here, but if Khaldoon has a fault it is that he thinks that with his education, his connections, his power and his wealth, he's considered no differently than his western contemporaries.

Sadly that's not the case.