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

[cityzen81]

Question, I've just noted this on Dan Roan's article on the BBC:

There is no guarantee City will be granted a suspension of their ban when they apply for it in the coming days at the same time as any appeal. The decision - made by a Cas official - will be based on an assessment of the merits of City's appeal, so this initial decision will give a strong indication of their prospects.

What are our chances at receiving this suspension? My understanding is that if it is granted we could potentially drag this out over a 10 year period if required, meaning the punishment is continually suspended, this would be a nightmare for UEFA.

How would that also impact upon the PL investigation?

After reading the notes from the original CAS hearing I say we have a very good chance of us having the ban suspended.

I cant see how it could drag on for years with CAS though. I am pretty sure it would be heard witnin he next 12 months, the years of legal wrangling would be through the Swiss Courts should we go down that route

In regards the FA/PL I'm not too sure if they would even open a case and if they did they would have to wait on the outcome of any appeal. One can only imagine the shit storm if they end up spunking their load prematurely like UEFA and we win at CAS

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1229351845866463232
ha ha a few posters from here on this @Prestwich_Blue @karen7

Saw that. Made me laugh.

 

[west didsblue]

we won’t be arguing at CAS that FFP is wrong (that may come later). I doubt uefa are arguing that we finessed anything. They seem to be arguing we fraudulently misled them as to the circumstances surrounding what we settled on in 2014. If we did we lose, if we didn’t we win. For them to make that argument they will need more than the Der Spiegel leaks.

Agreed.
Our CAS appeal will be based on the evidence that the UEFA investigators got it wrong in the interpretation of the hacked emails or that they refused to look at all the evidence in their haste to get it in within the 5 year deadline. There's no longer any argument that the sponsorship levels were out of line with similar deals with other clubs.
If that fails then it will go nuclear and cases will be brought at the Swiss courts and ECHR with the aim of bringing the whole FFP edifice down. Should that happen, numerous clubs that have previously been fined will be asking for their money back which will probably kill off UEFA.

 

[SidJames]

We've said we have irrefutable evidence we haven't committed a breach several times.

UEFA didn't want to accept that though.

Didn't fit with their narrative......

City " We have irrefutable proof,shall we fax it to you,or send by secure courier ?"

UEFA " Does it include a smoking Gun covered in fingerprints ?"

City "No"

UEFA " we are not accepting it then".

 

[Sheriff Fatman]

Its interesting who your friends & who are your enemies when stuff like this comes out.
Fuck me we have alot of enemies!

Mainly the fans of G14 clubs. I'm sensing a different reaction from English fans of other teams who seem to be realising that if we don't win this argument then there is no hope of them ever being able to compete at the top level again. We lose and the closed shop will be forever locked.

 

[Manc in London]

The case will come down to what evidence UEFA has been able to compile to supplement the leaked emails. If its the leaked emails and tumbleweed (which is what City are hedging), then I reckon we will give 'em an absolute bath in CAS - after all we are in a position of power in all this, in terms of having access to 'context documents' that UEFA simply has no jurisdiction to get - even with whatever information gathering powers they have under FFP. If UEFA has done the hard yards, corroborated what is implied by the dirty emails through other evidence - then we are up a creek most likely, and deservedly so if other evidence can support their arguments to show we 'misled them' about the source of funding underlying sponsorship (not the very clearly chosen words in UEFAs statmeent - this is not about 'overvaluing' our sponsorships, but 'overstating' them - which to me suggests a focus on the source of the funds in the case of UEFA, not the absolute quantum (which was what got us the first time around)


But if UEFA has been bluffing, and the hacked emails are basically it, then if our lawyers are worth anything like what we will pay them, then we will have them over a barrel.

Its a fascinating example of John Nash 'game theory' at play. Lots of brikmanship, lots of gamesmanship, lots of strategy based on 'i think they know this, or think this, or have this'. It seems likely one party or the other will take a heavy beating if it is all played out either in CAS or later on in the courts. Hence my view is that the most likely outcome of CAS is a negotiated settlement with a much lower punishment.

But the UEFA defence would surely fail if they punished us based on 'evidence' that we have not been able to respond to, as the process would be deemed unfair. It would be equivalent to a kangaroo court decision.

 

[Gordyola]

These fears mirror my own. I can't reconcile myself to the belief that CAS will just say "dearie dear, how unfair FFP is, case dismissed", and if we go in there expecting to argue the rights and wrongs of that system and how erratically it has been administered in the past, then we're on to a sure-fire loser. By the same token then, I'm struggling to understand why, if we're prepared to gamble the club's entire future on the hope that CAS will find UEFA's processes sufficiently flawed to overturn their decision, we did not accept the relatively minor 'technical guilt' plea that was offered us by Ceferin (UEFA). This case is so huge, I can't see CAS exonerating us unless our evidence is utterly overwhelming, and I don't think it is. In fact, I think that as a de facto conciliation service, they're more likely to view our attempts to finesse our way around FFP unfavourably. Getting the ban reduced by a year looks the best we're going to get to me, and as a fanbase I think we have to stop looking at this through the prism of what is "fair" and focus more on what the remit is of the organisations we're appealing to. "You come at the king, you best not miss" GIFs, and gung ho attitudes, are blinding us. For 'smart' people, we (City) have come off 2nd best every time we've got involved with this crooked shower

I can't see CAS exonerating us unless our evidence is utterly overwhelming, and I don't think it is.
Have you seen it?
The club claim it is irrefutable

view our attempts to finesse our way around FFP
What attempts are those?

remit is of the organisations
That will be CAS and independent organisation initially anyhow https://www.tas-cas.org/en/index.html

 

[paulchapo]

Mmm due a cut from this Ric, stealing content from your site?

 

[George Hannah]

Errr...not sure you're on your own with that one, mate.

Surely a man of your gifts and experience can sleep easily though....

 

[flook]

I fucking hate the guy but one paragraph stuck out to me which I never really thought about but would have to agree with

"There is no guarantee City will be granted a suspension of their ban when they apply for it in the coming days at the same time as any appeal. The decision - made by a Cas official - will be based on an assessment of the merits of City's appeal, so this initial decision will give a strong indication of their prospects."

yes I spotted that too, tbf it was a balanced article, right up to the last para when his true colours shone through again