PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

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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I usually ask what club they support

If a rag or dipper I can go into aggressive mode very quick

They have plenty of skeletons

Others clubs I educate them, most don’t have a clue
 
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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Man up

;)
 
Newman Noggs said:
You don't need validation of our achievements from anyone outside the City family. You are right that the pile-on is symptomatic of society in general but you should be proud not to be one of the baying, ignorant mob.
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I thrive on it if honest

It’s obvious that loads are really hurting, they say it’s because they want fairness

Ask anyone of them and they would love our owners

Utd whored themselves out to anyone and everyone only recently.

Liverpool have standard charter as a main sponsor

Arsenal have so much money of us we paid for the emirates stadium

I work with a few lads, all follow Utd via the TV

I rip into them whenever they mention 115 etc.

They do not know enough, I embarrass them in the office on how they spout shite. One lad was visible shaken I tore into him that much

He won’t say fuck all again on the subject

Defend the club, if we lose the case so fucking what

We will get over it
 
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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Loadsa money! that’s what you should be shouting Harry Enfield style. They’ll soon walk away
 
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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Don’t think so given the Shieks funding of Redbird, barclays etc
 
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.
Click to expand...
It is also a method of killing off any new young fan base we could accumulate, that would usually tag on to the red tops. Meaning country wide and globally
 
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.
Click to expand...

I genuinely honestly welcome the cunts, every one of them.
 
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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Spot on. I had it both ways. The envy when I was doing well and the gloating when I fucked up. Typical British manner.
 
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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In case you’ve forgotten the coverage was almost as bad before the 115 charges.
Ever since the money came in.
So, look at this way, it’s not a case of being either loved or hated.
We’re hated either way so just enjoy the team while we’re winning
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
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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So this, once again, is what I think is happening:

The PL spent four years investigating the club and had a number of issues that couldn't be resolved from the club's accounting records. We think we know exactly what they are. They asked for information from third parties (ADUG as was, Etisalat, Etihad, for example, maybe also Fordham and Mancini) and the club refused as a matter of principle because the PL has no right to information from third parties (until this year anyway) and to prevent an expanded fishing expedition into third party records (the club wanting to control what third party information to present, not the PL). But the PL knows, from CAS, the evidence to refute the allegations is at third parties. If the club wasn't going to provide it to the investigation, they eventually had to shit or get off the can.

So they shat out every allegation that couldn't be refuted by the internal records the club handed over.

This would explain why: there are so many charges, why the PL changed their investigatory powers to get access to third party information, the charges for non-cooperation and lack of good faith despite the club's conviction that it has complied, and the apparent challenge by the club on applying new rules to previous periods.

This also clears up the concern/lack of concern over fraud between some of our more respected posters on here. It's undeniable that the strict legal implication of the total set of alleged breaches is one of fraud and the actual charges (that we haven't seen) may set out a case for fraud, but I don't believe the PL would expect that outcome based on what happened at CAS. So, although, the club must absolutely defend itself as robustly and completely as possible, and for as long as it takes, against the implication, I just don't think the PL's heart is in it.

Absent any smoking gun (which would have to come from third parties anyway, so very unlikely) the PL is just following their process and are waiting for the club to present its third party evidence to make it all go away.

My theory anyway.

Note that, if any of this is true, it is the club that has manipulated the PL into these charges, presumably so that they can all be cleared once and for all (as they said in their statement) rather than the PL out to "get" the club, even if certain other clubs would be happy with that.

Just a few thoughts. Probably all bollocks. And remember, I thought we must have been fucked at CAS but we weren't. I think we are fine here, so we are probably fucked :)
 
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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Sadly is become an issue the world over, I remember when the USA looked up to and admired success, that like the UK is no longer the case, very sad.
 
Tracking back said:
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.
Click to expand...
Amen, brother! And it’s a weight around the neck of the country.

The lack of positive sentiment around anything aspirational is shocking. Others like to denigrate success as somehow getting above one’s station…and make sure you don’t celebrate your success “too much!”

With City, it seems like the nationalistic narrative is pervasive. The whole “dirty Arab oil money” would be hate speech if anyone cared to raise that flag, but, but, but, it’s City!

It’s old. It’s tired. It’s wrong. It’s pathetic.

But, it’s everywhere…and it’s not going away any time soon.

The level of glee, even from supposedly learned people in and around football, is ridiculous. From losing trophies and a mega-fine to relegation to multiple relegations to expulsion, the level of prejudgment (otherwise known as prejudice) is just as nauseating as the glee…and all before a single word is uttered in the legal case.

The tribalism, which is what it is, is getting worse. But, at least the other tribes, which are allied against City, are getting exposed for the pathetic hypocrites they are.

The saddest part, at least for me, is that of the 115 charges, the “non-cooperation” will be very difficult to overcome and, if found “guilty” of not giving these bastards our business secrets, we may be punished. THAT will be all some of the know nothing morons will need to say “I told you so! Cheaters!” Then, it’ll be the outrage at the seemingly ridiculous “non-punishment!”

Yawn.
 
halfcenturyup said:
So this, once again, is what I think is happening:

The PL spent four years investigating the club and had a number of issues that couldn't be resolved from the club's accounting records. We think we know exactly what they are. They asked for information from third parties (ADUG as was, Etisalat, Etihad, for example, maybe also Fordham and Mancini) and the club refused as a matter of principle because the PL has no right to information from third parties (until this year anyway) and to prevent an expanded fishing expedition into third party records (the club wanting to control what third party information to present, not the PL). But the PL knows, from CAS, the evidence to refute the allegations is at third parties. If the club wasn't going to provide it to the investigation, they eventually had to shit or get off the can.

So they shat out every allegation that couldn't be refuted by the internal records the club handed over.

This would explain why: there are so many charges, why the PL changed their investigatory powers to get access to third party information, the charges for non-cooperation and lack of good faith despite the club's conviction that it has complied, and the apparent challenge by the club on applying new rules to previous periods.

This also clears up the concern/lack of concern over fraud between some of our more respected posters on here. It's undeniable that the strict legal implication of the total set of alleged breaches is one of fraud and the actual charges (that we haven't seen) may set out a case for fraud, but I don't believe the PL would expect that outcome based on what happened at CAS. So, although, the club must absolutely defend itself as robustly and completely as possible, and for as long as it takes, against the implication, I just don't think the PL's heart is in it.

Absent any smoking gun (which would have to come from third parties anyway, so very unlikely) the PL is just following their process and are waiting for the club to present its third party evidence to make it all go away.

My theory anyway.

Note that, if any of this is true, it is the club that has manipulated the PL into these charges, presumably so that they can all be cleared once and for all (as they said in their statement) rather than the PL out to "get" the club, even if certain other clubs would be happy with that.

Just a few thoughts. Probably all bollocks. And remember, I thought we must have been fucked at CAS but we weren't. I think we are fine here, so we are probably fucked :)
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Well mate - as theories go, I’d definitely say it’s a theory !
I can’t get past Pep’s presser when charges had been announced and he called out our rivals - Levy in particular. Pep wears his heart on his sleeve and that was 100% genuine. The club know this shitstorm was brought about by our rivals - think also of Khaldoon’s many hints and comments down the years “clear and organised” etc. They know exactly who’s behind this.
 
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