The Premier League are a disgrace and City should appeal this....
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Manchester City seething after Premier League blocks Joe Hart recall
• League refuses to let City recall on-loan goalkeeper
• Marton Fulop will instead join City for season run-in
Joe Hart will not be returning to Eastlands for the final three games of the season.
Manchester City were left seething after a late Premier League ruling left them unable to call back their own player as an emergency goalkeeper. The league, while sympathetic to City's plight, felt too many complications and unwanted precedents would arise were Joe Hart to be allowed straight back to Eastlands from his season's loan at Birmingham City.
Sunderland's Marton Fulop will commence training with Manchester City this morning after Sunderland and the league acquiesced to Roberto Mancini's appeal for an emergency goalkeeper, but Hart was the manager's first choice.
That leaves Manchester City with Sunderland's third-choice goalkeeper and someone who conceded seven goals to Chelsea on his last outing as opposed to a player who has been voted goalkeeper of the season by his fellow professionals. But if City's Champions League ambitions are damaged by that outcome they have only themselves to blame. The league confirmed that had Manchester City added a recall clause to Hart's loan contract they could have recalled him immediately, but the fact they chose not to has allowed Birmingham to hang on to their player and avoid upsetting other clubs around them.
Early indications were that the league would give the nod to whatever short-term arrangement City could broker after Shay Given dislocated a shoulder on Saturday. Given has an operation in London tomorrow and is out for the season, and his normal deputy, Stuart Taylor, is also unavailable while recovering from a knee injury. But it appears a combination of Birmingham's desire for financial compensation and discreet lobbying from other clubs with an interest in finishing fourth have persuaded the authorities that such a one-off solution might produce consequences too far-reaching.
Manchester City could have insterted a recall clause in Hart's contract but they chose not to, and that enabled the Premier League to politely suggest they look elsewhere for a replacement goalkeeper.
"The situation just got too complicated," a Premier League spokesman said. "Birmingham were talking about compensation for dropping league positions and that might have cost over £1m as well as setting a precedent.Plus other clubs were concerned about Manchester City bringing in a top goalkeeper at the last moment. We do sympathise with Manchester City and we do want to help ... but in the circumstances we could only advise them to look elsewhere. We have the integrity of the competition to consider and we could not be seen to helping one club while inconveniencing others. In the circumstances a request for an emergency goalkeeper is reasonable, we just felt Manchester City could look elsewhere for cover for their remaining three matches."
Manchester City got the message and did just that, having identified Sunderland's Hungarian keeper as an option at the same time as they were sounding out Birmingham for Hart. They are understood to be unhappy over Birmingham's stance – the vice-chairman, Peter Pannu, initially appeared to give their approach his blessing before Alex McLeish dug his heels in – though in the interests of equanimity, not to mention the fact that there are nine professional goalkeepers at Eastlands and at least four of them are still fit, they switched their attention to the northy-east.
A statement from Manchester City read: "We have been in contact throughout the day with Birmingham City and Sunderland with regard to bringing either Joe Hart or Marton Fulop to the team on an emergency basis. Agreement was not reached with Birmingham, but we anticipate Fulop will join us and we sincerely thank him and Sunderland for their help in this situation."
