UEFA FFP investigation - CAS decision to be announced Monday, 13th July 9.30am BST

[nmc]

What are the 14 clubs?

Old G14

 

[blueinsa]

Go away.

Handful of posts in the last 5 years and then all over a story like this.

Not alone either!

 

[NorthamptonBlue]

I think what you are forgetting in your enthusiasm to hit back is that at some point we have to move on from this and continue to play football and compete for transfers and trophies including the Champions league. By all means do what is needed to overturn this verdict and maybe go as far as to change or scrap FFP, but to go for UEFA’s jugular would be an act to enjoy in haste and regret at leisure.

Wise words which are unlikely to be popular on here. My take is as follows:

FFP was set up to stop us and PSG.
Both clubs tried to circumvent FFP with a bit of fantasy accounting.
Lots of clubs and officials are out to get us.
We gave them an opportunity.
Somehow, PSG got away with it but we didn’t.
We are now in damage limitation mode.
Sometimes life is a bit shit.

Not a popular view I’m sure.

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

This is the crux of it for me.

Did someone in the UAE (i.e., HH) top up the sponsorship funds? Maybe, maybe not. The emails seem to suggest they did.

But if that money was invested in each of the sponsors and then paid into City's accounts directly from Etihad, Etisalat, Aabar, etc. (as also suggested by the emails), I don't see how UEFA have much of a case.

It's not like they'll have any access to those companies' accounts/bank records as they have no jurisdiction over them. And in the very unlikely scenario they even asked to see them, they will have been told to fuck off.

So, all that matters is that if City stated X million as Aabar sponsorship revenue, then City's own bank records need to show that same X million arriving directly from Aabar. And the leaked emails suggest they were very careful about ensuring that happened.

Now obviously, if City's accounts show 25% of that X million came from Aabar and 75% came from elsewhere (i.e., ADUG, Sheikh Mansour), then we're bang to rights. But we surely wouldn't be appealing if it was that cut and dried.

So, my own hypothesis is that UEFA "know" we have circumvented FFP; the emails show it. But they have no other proof. And even if those emails were admissible, they could theoretically be explained away as meaning something else.

Rather than allowing us to get away with what they see as blatant "cheating", and knowing that the evidence they have won't stand up in CAS (or court), they have sought to inflict massive reputational damage in the hope that some of that damage will stick even when the punishment is overturned.

This ties in with the rumours that UEFA were desperate to agree a deal with City that saw us accept guilt with a token slap on the wrist. That suggests they weren't at all confident that their "evidence" would stand up to intense scrutiny.

When City told them they weren't interested, UEFA went for the only other option left to them — nuclear reputational damage. This explains why the punishment is so excessive; they know it won't be upheld, but they had to go in hard for the world to take notice and make at least some of the mud stick.

That's my theory anyway!

I'm no expert but wouldn't that be like they are punishing us for not checking where the sponsors money originated prior to said companies paying us?

Surely we can just put up our Batfink style wing protectors and allow the array of bullets to ping off us in a general direction of say Liverpool and Standard Charter and see if they can offer up any explanation as why they didn't check where their sponsorship monies originated?

 

[Bandofblues]

Can you cut and paste what referring to?

Oops, sorry. Here you go.

Once upon a time, there was a really prestigious football tournament called the European Cup, which was based on sporting excellence. It brought together outstanding teams from across the continent. To qualify teams first had to prove themselves by winning their own league, this truly was a competition for champions.

With the glory though also came the opportunity for great wealth & eventually the principal of sporting excellence was overtaken by greed. The self-appointed elite of the time "the European Royalty" decided they wanted a greater share of the spoils & they wanted it guaranteed regardless of their performance!

The grubby little cartel (later known as the G14) threatened to break away & form their own Super League, unless everyone else agreed to their demands! Feeling they had little choice, UEFA caved in & the"Champions" League was born.

At the heart of this self-serving little cartel were 3 English clubs (Man United, Liverpool & Arsenal) & coincidentally the format of the new competition granted 3 places to English teams. It also changed from a straight knockout format to an initial group stage. So now not only could they still qualify by only finishing 2nd or 3rd in the Premier League, they were also guaranteed at least 6 lucrative fixtures each season.

BOOM! The money started rolling in & the big 3 got fatter, as they disappeared over the horizon, leaving the rest of the league with little chance of ever challenging their increasing financial dominance!

Then out of the blue, a wealthy Russian Oligarch, Roman Abramovich, rolled into town to bankroll Chelsea & gatecrash the party! With the gravy train now under threat, the greedy little threesome convinced UEFA to increase the English allocation to 4 places! Phew disaster averted, onwards & upwards, no harm done...

That was until the "evil" Sheikh Mansour bought Manchester City with his unlimited "dirty oil money!"!

Now with UEFA unable or unwilling to accommodate this latest unwelcome guest at the top table, a new strategy was required to preserve the dominance of the established elite. Without further a do, the "Financial Fair Play" was conceived!

This had little to do with "fair play", turning a blind eye to debt ridden clubs & owners that systematically drained money out of the game! It was solely designed to stop wealthy owners investing in clubs & making them competitive; thus ensuring the lazy established elite remained unchallenged.

Undeterred by the bogus nature of these new constraints targeted at them & any future investors, Manchester City embarked on transforming the club, with initial investment to break the cartel & putting top quality people in place, off the field as well as on it.

In addition to breaking all records on the pitch, the club has now achieved commercial sustainability & delivered 4 years of profit. The club is now independently valued at over £2B (reportedly outstripping all the Premier League old-guard). This has shown a huge return on Sheikh Mansour's £1.2B investment & dispelling the lie of "financial doping".

So what do the owners of the established "European Royalty" do now? Up their game? Risk their own money to meet the challenge? No! They utilise their stooges in the media to try & discredit City's achievements & demand UEFA do "something" to derail Citys' progress!

Manchester City FC -
Centurions
Fourmidables
Champions of England (again)
FA Cup holders
League Cup holders
The best ran football club in the world!

Thank you Sheikh Mansour, thank you Kaldoon & Thank you Pep Guardiola.

Nailed it, this is what fans of other clubs should be reading.

It should be cut and pasted onto every comments section of every online paper and forum. Stop bring baited into arguements just post the above and whenever someone else replies then post it again and just keep doing it.

 

[half & half derby scarf]

Uefa's stance is wonderful IMO. We have a corrupt governing body threatening the biggest sanction possible on a club that has done nothing wrong. It is wonderful news for all fans of Football because:

1. If Uefa's ruling is upheld, it means the Cartel have successfully enforced the closed shop. Football at this level will therefore be uncompetitive (i.e dead) and we can all move on.
2. If City overturn it, it essentially means Uefa are dead in the water and the future of Football governance will be changed permanently.

Happy days. Thanks Uefa.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Yes our pre emptive strike was knocked back till the punishment was dolled out so we go back again nos

thought it was that. Thanks

 

[bondsman]

I hope Pep comes out and says fuck it I’m signing a new contract and we are gonna push through this shit and continue to dominate because that’s what has led us here. One or two trophies and they wouldn’t care so much but over the last 10 years we’ve been the team to emulate in terms of style and the team to beat. I’d love it if he was up for a proper challenge like the one in front of us.

 

[Cornish_Blue]

Wise words which are unlikely to be popular on here. My take is as follows:

FFP was set up to stop us and PSG.
Both clubs tried to circumvent FFP with a bit of fantasy accounting.
Lots of clubs and officials are out to get us.
We gave them an opportunity.
Somehow, PSG got away with it but we didn’t.
We are now in damage limitation mode.
Sometimes life is a bit shit.

Not a popular view I’m sure.

UEFArce set a precedence by not punishing PSG for the same thing we have allegedly been ‘found guilty’ of!
It would be the same in a court with two exact cases, then the judge deciding 1 of them gets nothing, and the other 2 years behind bars. It wouldn’t be a comparable punishment and unjustifiable in law, but as we know, UEFArce make the rules up to suit the circumstances. cünts

 

[Mancity1980]

To be honest bud I don't care about keeping UEFA happy and I want no part of their circus until reform is set in place, we shouldn't fear them we should shun them.

Nor do I think we should fear or keep them happy. Even after warfare nations that rebuild relationships (in time) prosper.