PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

wattle said:
So true. It’s all beginning to grind me down now. I’m not the sort person who enjoys or thrives on being hated. The fact that city are so hated is making me think what’s the point. Success is something to be celebrated but we’re basically never going to get any credit for the wonderful things we’ve done for the community and changed how football can be played. The hate in this country in general and how it is shown to City is frightening. I’ll just be happy when it’s all over, even if it means us in div 2.
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You think the hate will disappear if we're in division 2?

Just remember, they don't really hate us, they're seething with envy and jealousy

Look at Everton... they've actually been found guilty but nobody hates them for it, they're willing them on to win the appeal and praising the club and their fans for fighting it

Why is that?.... It's because they're no threat to the establishment. If we were mid table or hadn't won multiple trophies that the red cartel feel belong to them, nobody would care less about these allegations... in fact there probably would be no allegations
 
wattle said:
So true. It’s all beginning to grind me down now. I’m not the sort person who enjoys or thrives on being hated. The fact that city are so hated is making me think what’s the point. Success is something to be celebrated but we’re basically never going to get any credit for the wonderful things we’ve done for the community and changed how football can be played. The hate in this country in general and how it is shown to City is frightening. I’ll just be happy when it’s all over, even if it means us in div 2.
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And that is exactly what they set out to achieve. To grind us down so much, we just walk away. If you let that happen then they have won. They have achieved their objectives. You / I / we cannot let that happen. Do not let it tarnish our unbelievable rise and sustained success which is absolutely mind blowing! Drink it in! Rejoice! Celebrate! It’s more than probable that we will never witness what we are seeing to ever again.
Don’t let the bastards grind you down! Because that is what they want to achieve. No fucking chance!
 
PPT said:
And that is exactly what they set out to achieve. To grind us down so much, we just walk away. If you let that happen then they have won. They have achieved their objectives. You / I / we cannot let that happen. Do not let it tarnish our unbelievable rise and sustained success which is absolutely mind blowing! Drink it in! Rejoice! Celebrate! It’s more than probable that we will never witness what we are seeing to ever again.
Don’t let the bastards grind you down! Because that is what they want to achieve. No fucking chance!
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So if our accounts are not true and fair as far as the PL are concerned. We have must have done one or a combination of the following.

1. Overstating revenue
2. Failing to record expenses
3. Misstating assets and liabilities

These are all ways to commit accounting fraud.

I have no idea what the PL charges relate to specifically, but I am assuming that the PL are focused on 1 or 2.

I am guessing that they will be trying to say we have overstated the value of sponsor deals or that we have paid players/staff without recording this info on the books.

So, we are the Enron of football! Even though CAS cleated City of all the financial related charges.

So, unless the PL have some new evidence none of us know about, they have unnecessarily raised expectations amongst football fans and potentially increased the likelihood that the PL will implode when the tribunal decision is communicated in 2025/26.

We will have had legal advice as to what information we needed to give them. That does not mean that we have not co-operated though. The PL may not like our response, but it does not follow that that is non co-operation.

So, the PL are walking a tight rope and I am guessing/hoping they have got things very wrong.

As The Prodigy said in the 1990s on the Jilted Generation...."fuck em and their law!".
 
wattle said:
So true. It’s all beginning to grind me down now. I’m not the sort person who enjoys or thrives on being hated. The fact that city are so hated is making me think what’s the point. Success is something to be celebrated but we’re basically never going to get any credit for the wonderful things we’ve done for the community and changed how football can be played. The hate in this country in general and how it is shown to City is frightening. I’ll just be happy when it’s all over, even if it means us in div 2.
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As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve been feeling like that at times as well.

I’ve been verbally abused on more than one occasion by complete strangers in the street just because I was wearing my City gear. Been called “a cheat” by someone I don’t know from Adam.

The vitriol aimed at City in this country is worse than Leeds and Millwall combined.

I know this is what they want - to systematically grind us down - but I do find it exhausting.
 
Eric Hitchmough said:
As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve been feeling like that at times as well.

I’ve been verbally abused on more than one occasion by complete strangers in the street just because I was wearing my City gear. Been called “a cheat” by someone I don’t know from Adam.

The vitriol aimed at City in this country is worse than Leeds and Millwall combined.

I know this is what they want - to systematically grind us down - but I do find it exhausting.
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Use their envy and jealousy as your fuel Eric. Allow it to spur you on. Make it your own secret superpower. Their hate is derived directly and proportionately from our success. Christ knows we’ve been through the darkest of days and the hardest of times. More than any of them can even imagine. First they laugh at you. Then they ignore you. Then they fight you. Then you win. We have won. Their deeds and actions confirm this on a daily basis. The truth is, they are absolutely terrified of us. And with very good reason. Wear your hoodie with pride…
 
wattle said:
So true. It’s all beginning to grind me down now. I’m not the sort person who enjoys or thrives on being hated. The fact that city are so hated is making me think what’s the point. Success is something to be celebrated but we’re basically never going to get any credit for the wonderful things we’ve done for the community and changed how football can be played. The hate in this country in general and how it is shown to City is frightening. I’ll just be happy when it’s all over, even if it means us in div 2.
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This is Britain matey.

Success in this country is a paradox. Everybody wants it but they'll hate you for it, if you get it and they don't.

MCFC have proved to be one of the most successfully run football clubs in modern history.

The rags have had their time. The dippers have huffed and puffed and the Tarquins are trying way too hard.

Don't worry about the lack of recognition from these red shirt tossers and their mouthpiece media. Bask in the knowledge that we're dominating them on the pitch and driving them to distraction off it.
 
Tracking back said:
This is Britain matey.

Success in this country is a paradox. Everybody wants it but they'll hate you for it, if you get it and they don't.

MCFC have proved to be one of the most successfully run football clubs in modern history.

The rags have had their time. The dippers have huffed and puffed and the Tarquins are trying way too hard.

Don't worry about the lack of recognition from these red shirt tossers and their mouthpiece media. Bask in the knowledge that we're dominating them on the pitch and driving them to distraction off it.
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Today's internet winner. Particularly for that second paragraph
 
projectriver said:
Colin, don't take my word for it. Just read CAS. The consequences of the Independent Commission finding against us are similar to those had CAS found against us.

City themselves argued that the consequences of a finding against them was "that a finding that Etihad’s sponsorship contributions were funded, or procured to be funded, by HHSM and/or ADUG would require a conclusion that the evidence of several high-ranking officials of large international commercial enterprises …were false and that at least Mr Hogan if not Mr Pearce would be subject to criminal sanctions." (see page 72 of CAS). Their words not mine.

Likewise, there really is no question that the allegations in respect of the sponsorship contracts amount to an allegation of accounting fraud. They are alleging the revenue (and profits) from the sponsorship contracts incorporated in our accounts are, in essence, fake. It is that simple. Again, don't take my word for it. City's own skeleton argument said "The allegations made by the CFCB in these proceedings are serious and based on fraud and conspiracy involving MCFC, ADUG and the sponsors Etisalat and Etihad." (see extract on page 24 of CAS). Their argument not mine.

Most of the rest of the analysis is not hugely applicable here - these aren't allegations of subjective interpretations of the accounting standards. I've been involved in those cases professionally for years including successfully defending a 7 year SFO investigation, potential class actions and other claims. I can tell the difference.

I would definitely agree that the Mancini situation seems highly improbable given the sums involved. And Fordham was public so I don't see that being the main issue. But on the sponsorships, don't listen to me, listen to City themselves. CAS should give us some comfort but the amount evidence in play with the IC will be very different because we know UEFA tried to rely on a handful of documents. That was always hopeless for such serious allegations. Serious allegations require serious proof in the form of cogent evidence.
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When we had the discussion on here about the CAS case, pretty well the only thing we disagreed on was your view that as long as Etihad paid us a sum of money, and we accurately recorded that sum of money in our books, there was no case to answer. My view was that the source of funds was crucially important.

We know, from CAS, that we received money from Etihad, we recorded it properly, it wasn't mainly funded by ADUG and that Etihad got full value for the sponsorship they paid us. That's not fraud. If that's the interpretation or implication of the PL, then they're simply trying it on.

Had Etihad only paid us £8m, and we recorded it as £60m, with no accounting entries to support the missing £52m, that would definitely be classed as presenting knowingly incorrect financial statements and therefore potentially fraudulent. But we didn't do that.

We agree, with respect to Fordham and Mancini, that there seems little mileage in the PL pursuing these. So the implication, as you say, is that it's probably the sponsorships they're majoring on. But these, as you've brilliantly and consistently pointed out on Twitter to various dickheads like Harris and others, were comprehensively dealt with at CAS, including the supposedly time-barred Etisalat contract.

So unless there's some sort of smoking gun that the PL have discovered, I'd wager these charges were going nowhere as well. But if there was a smoking gun that led to a reasonable suspicion of criminal offence having been committed, the SFO would almost certainly have been brought in by now, as the FSA did in your case, having accused your company of what (had it been proven) would have been a large-scale and knowing misrepresentation of their finances to put a higher value on the company they were selling. But I assume there was no evidence that had happened and the case was dropped, ending in a small, no-liability settlement.

The SFO haven't been involved in our case though (at least not that we know of) despite 4 years of investigation, which suggests there is no smoking gun.

The PL and UEFA may have alleged or implied fraud, but I think you and I both firmly believe that this is complete, hyperbolic nonsense and the likelihood is that the PL will end up with egg on its face over the substantive charges but having successfully smeared us.
 
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Bez said:
So if our accounts are not true and fair as far as the PL are concerned. We have must have done one or a combination of the following.

1. Overstating revenue
2. Failing to record expenses
3. Misstating assets and liabilities

These are all ways to commit accounting fraud.

I have no idea what the PL charges relate to specifically, but I am assuming that the PL are focused on 1 or 2.

I am guessing that they will be trying to say we have overstated the value of sponsor deals or that we have paid players/staff without recording this info on the books.

So, we are the Enron of football! Even though CAS cleated City of all the financial related charges.

So, unless the PL have some new evidence none of us know about, they have unnecessarily raised expectations amongst football fans and potentially increased the likelihood that the PL will implode when the tribunal decision is communicated in 2025/26.

We will have had legal advice as to what information we needed to give them. That does not mean that we have not co-operated though. The PL may not like our response, but it does not follow that that is non co-operation.

So, the PL are walking a tight rope and I am guessing/hoping they have got things very wrong.

As The Prodigy said in the 1990s on the Jilted Generation...."fuck em and their law!".
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1. Overstating revenue
2. Failing to record expenses
3. Misstating assets and liabilities
4. Winning the league
FA Cup
Carabao Cup
Charity shield
Champions League
Super Cup
Making a profit
Being very good.
I think they are focused on number 4 and its breaking their spirit, such a shame;-)
 
I hope for the PL’s sake they have something a lot more substantial than UEFA, or they’ll be getting the same fucking UEFA got but we won’t bother with the lube this time
 
I do wonder if the issue is the ethnicity of our owner it’s known that the Americans don’t like Arabs and it’s clear where the power beyond the PL is Would it have been different if it had been an Israeli who bought City and we were sponsored by El Al
 
Eric Hitchmough said:
I’ve been verbally abused on more than one occasion by complete strangers in the street just because I was wearing my City gear. Been called “a cheat” by someone I don’t know from Adam.
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. . .to which the correct reply is "imbecile ; if you're too damn thick to know the difference between charged and guilty , then I have more chance of a meaningful conversation with Proxima Centauri B , than with you"
 
Gordyola said:
I do wonder if the issue is the ethnicity of our owner it’s known that the Americans don’t like Arabs and it’s clear where the power beyond the PL is Would it have been different if it had been an Israeli who bought City and we were sponsored by El Al
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Well rumors are the Sheikhs from Qatar didn't want to buy a club owned by owners from a certain ethnicity after the whole Gaza mess.

So don't underestimate the stuff!
 
Blue Maverick said:
Makes me laugh at other fans thinking it would break us if we get sent down! Can you imagine the the laughs we will have coming back up, do they really think the Sheik will fuck off from a £6 billion company, bring it fucking on I say, we’ve been there before, twats.
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It would be absolutely awesome if the truth is told. Every game would be carnage! Blues are here. Blues are there. Blues are every fucking where!
 
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