PL charge City for alleged breaches of financial rules

[Gundoggin]

How many charges? I’ve realised now that his guilt is based on how many charges & not the strength of the evidence……

You can only find out about this story on USA media channels, the UK media are running with erm ……… Nothing !
Tell us everything ;-)

 

[cheekybids]

Just to be clear, the emails were the grounds, rather than the evidence, on which UEFA justified undertaking its investigation, which CAS felt was justified. There were other stories, including the Mancini contract, the Fordham image rights payments (which UEFA already knew about) and a few other things. Generally speaking, it requires a reasonable suspicion that rules or laws have been broken for an investigation and requesting evidence to take place, and the Der Spiegel articles provided that.

What they then did was ask us for the full email chains and any other pertinent documents. This is where the disputes over cooperation started, as our legal advisers resisted some of these requests, on the grounds that they weren't pertinent or relevant. In effect, it was a 'fishing expedition'. CAS actually questioned why UEFA didn't hold out for some emails they thought they were entitled to, and brought the charges before they had those.

We didn't provide some documents that we later supplied to CAS however. You'd have to wonder why we chose that course of actio and whether UEFA would have not gone ahead with the referral of the case to the Adjudicatory Chamber if we had provided those. We don't know the legal details though so it is pure speculation.

What we do know is that the AC found against us, and issued the 2-season ban, which was overturned by CAS, who did have all the evidence.

The PL likewise can only act based on a reasonable suspicion that we've broken rules and the emails gave them that. But unless we've given the PL's lawyers something that we didn't give to UEFA or CAS, then they're unlikely to be any more succesful than UEFA were.

Is it reasonable suspicion? I keep saying this all they had was a fabricated story. Even in the days of the News of the World ‘fake sheik’ exposes it always ended with a dossier has been sent to the police. Without the dossier no investigation occurs. Was a dossier provided from Der Spiegel? In my opinion that’s where the investigation occurs? Was the journalist reliable, was the evidence?

 

[cheekybids]

I seem to remember it being rumoured City’s legal team weren’t particularly happy after the first day of CAS but much more upbeat after the second

That was purely down to the catering…

 

[foggy1974]

Please stop worrying about rival fans who think we've paid them off, whoever that might be.
I'd stop watching the game if I thought there was a shred of truth in it.
Most are just bitter knobheads behind a key board.

I'm not worrying about them, just saying how the premier league have got exactly what they wanted

 

[bluemanchester]

I doubt that it was 15 minutes but didn’t the CAS hearing finish earlier than expected? I seem to recall reading about it at the time.

Your right. How long does it take to say "is that it, really";-)

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Innocent, prove us guilty.

 

[remember arthur mann]

 

[nmc]

Is it reasonable suspicion? I keep saying this all they had was a fabricated story. Even in the days of the News of the World ‘fake sheik’ exposes it always ended with a dossier has been sent to the police. Without the dossier no investigation occurs. Was a dossier provided from Der Spiegel? In my opinion that’s where the investigation occurs? Was the journalist reliable, was the evidence?

I think the CAS case proved the allegations alleged by Der Spiegel were untrue and their interpretation of the emails was inaccurate. The PL are obviously taking a different view to CAS ! although I think they are naively hanging their hat on the time barred elements from CAS… more in hope than anticipation.

 

[cheekybids]

I think the CAS case proved the allegations alleged by Der Spiegel were untrue and their interpretation of the emails was inaccurate. The PL are obviously taking a different view to CAS ! although I think they are naively hanging their hat on the time barred elements from CAS… more in hope than anticipation.

Did either of the premier league or UEFA contact Der Spiegel as part of their investigation? It’s Der Spiegel who alleged City were breaking the rules so they’d be the first people I’d interview to see if they had conducted a hatchet job & have a look at their (primary) evidence.

 

[Coatigan]

I think the CAS case proved the allegations alleged by Der Spiegel were untrue and their interpretation of the emails was inaccurate. The PL are obviously taking a different view to CAS ! although I think they are naively hanging their hat on the time barred elements from CAS… more in hope than anticipation.

I think that is indeed what some sections of the media and many rival fans are hanging their hat on. I would doubt that's what the PL are hanging their hat on though.

The 'time barred' elements at cas were not suspected to be any more incriminating, given the were consistent with the rest of the evidence. Despite how it has since been spun as some technicality.

 

[nmc]

Did either of the premier league or UEFA contact Der Spiegel as part of their investigation? It’s Der Spiegel who alleged City were breaking the rules so they’d be the first people I’d interview to see if they had conducted a hatchet job & have a look at their (primary) evidence.

I guess it’s difficult to be sure but, the fact that UEFA showed up with little more than the photocopied Der Spiegel emails, points to the fact that they didn’t have further evidence. Given the volume of hacked and leaked documents I’m still intrigued to know who was orchestrating this attack on City… the red shirts in England? Bayern? It looks suspicious that we seem to be just about the only club negatively impacted by the ‘footyleaks’ scandal.

 

[nmc]

I think that is indeed what some sections of the media and many rival fans are hanging their hat on. I would doubt that's what the PL are hanging their hat on though.

The 'time barred' elements at cas were not suspected to be any more incriminating, given the were consistent with the rest of the evidence. Despite how it has since been spun as some technicality.

Gill was happy to hang his hat on the Der Spiegel emails at CAS which on reflection looks utterly stupid but, I now suspect UEFA knew all along they would lose, but it was all about smearing us. Is this case really any different? 115 charges, no evidence, 4 year investigation - whatever the outcome in the court of public opinion we will always be guilty and there will be something shady hanging over our achievements.

 

[cheekybids]

I guess it’s difficult to be sure but, the fact that UEFA showed up with little more than the photocopied Der Spiegel emails, points to the fact that they didn’t have further evidence. Given the volume of hacked and leaked documents I’m still intrigued to know who was orchestrating this attack on City… the red shirts in England? Bayern? It looks suspicious that we seem to be just about the only club negatively impacted by the ‘footyleaks’ scandal.

You’ve asked the sort of questions that an independent investigation would ask.

 

[nmc]

You’ve asked the sort of questions that an independent investigation would ask.

Or a half decent journalist

 

[Bez]

That won’t happen. It doesn’t work that way. If City get a favourable outcome everyone goes home.

Unless there is proof that this was a planned and co-ordinated attack on City's reputation. E.g. emails, audio, witnesses etc...which is unlikely to happen I am guessing.

 

[SilverFox2]

Gill was happy to hang his hat on the Der Spiegel emails at CAS which on reflection looks utterly stupid but, I now suspect UEFA knew all along they would lose, but it was all about smearing us. Is this case really any different? 115 charges, no evidence, 4 year investigation - whatever the outcome in the court of public opinion we will always be guilty and there will be something shady hanging over our achievements.

So it seems us being guilty
has become a fact of life rather than a problem so why waste worry on it?
Let them continue finding ways to smear us and City and it's owners and sponsors will continue to dominate.

Do we really prefer the PL, UEFA and the media to be fair to our achievements? Would we prefer the decades that us older fans suffered before Sheikh M where we were at best patronized?

This is about CFG taking their money so long may it last.

 

[Coatigan]

Gill was happy to hang his hat on the Der Spiegel emails at CAS which on reflection looks utterly stupid but, I now suspect UEFA knew all along they would lose, but it was all about smearing us. Is this case really any different? 115 charges, no evidence, 4 year investigation - whatever the outcome in the court of public opinion we will always be guilty and there will be something shady hanging over our achievements.

Don't disagree about the court of public opinion, or the smearing.

Disagree that Uefa knew all along they would lose. They publicly claimed they were pretty damn confident in their case, experienced lawyers were adamant too, and one fuckface still is and still goes on about it.

edit, and it is just not true that it was just the hacked emails examined and evidenced, as has been documented and published in the lengthy cas verdict.

Hopefully, the PL will prove to be as wrong as Uefa were, whatever their level of confidence in their charges.

 

[cheekybids]

Don't disagree about the court of public opinion, or the smearing.

Disagree that Uefa knew all along they would lose. They publicly claimed they were pretty damn confident in their case, experienced lawyers were adamant too, and one fuckface still is and still goes on about it.

edit, and it is just not true that it was just the hacked emails examined and evidenced, as has been documented and published in the lengthy cas verdict.

Hopefully, the PL will prove to be as wrong as Uefa were, whatever their level of confidence in their charges.

If they’d have conducted an independent investigation then they would have been aware their case was flimsy. Lobbyists & rival club execs don’t make the best investigators.

 

[Pontypool Blue]

Or a half decent journalist

Or a drunken Small claims lawyer

 

[The blue phantom]

Pretty much the biggest part of my point.

That does NOT equate to me thinking that the charges themselves do have or must have substance. It just means I believe the PL must, to some extent at least, think that. For this to be where it is.

Tbh I'm kinda with you on this. I think we'll be fine and I trust the powers that be at our club, But do I think the PL have come after us with not one ounce of evidence and purely to try an ruin our reputation, all because the cartel clubs have instructed them to do so. Nope.