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

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

I really hate to end up defending Miguel fuckjng Delaney of all people but that list does show one thing very clearly, which is that PSGs Neymar purchase massively inflated the transfer market.

Neymar and Mbappe speak for themselves, Coutinho and Dembele were Barcelona panic spending and Griezmann was a continuation of that. Joao Felix was Atleti spending that money and the reason an 18 year old with 1 good year went for 120m was because people wanted the next Mbappe.

Van Dijk and Alisson both went for their world record fees because Barcelona paid so much for Coutinho and Maguire cost 80m because of VVD resetting the value of centre backs.


So I think he is absolutely right to say PSGs 2018 inflated the transfer market considerably.

Now the thing you've taken offence to is that he said City could compete.....but that's not really wrong. City haven't chosen to compete but we could have. A lot of the transfers involving other clubs (liverpool, atletico) are really them spending PSGs initial 400m they dumped into the market.

We have it from decent sources that City would have spent the money on Mbappe and we tried to get Messi in 2017 which would have been a world record fee.

City haven't competed with the top 10 transfer fees, but that's different to jot being able to. We are able to and it's only a matter of time before we make a top 3 or top 5 transfer IMO.

Not quite mate. My issues were with his assertion that the clubs outside of PSG, United and City need the protection of the regulations to allow them to compete - his 'this is why FFP is necessary' line - and his tenuous conflation of City with this same issue.

My point was that these poor, penniless urchins like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are perfectly happy to compete at the top end of the market (indeed they've been the ones driving the market up historically, before PSG started grandstanding with Neymar and Mbappe) - so FFP palpably isn't working if that's its objective, and neither is this apparent strategy on the part of PSG to dramatically price out any other club from the market outside of the three named.

And in addition, the facts just don't bear out that somehow City is forcing these clubs to overpay. That was the point I was trying to make.

Clearly PSG inflated the market - I would never question that. One look at the table tells you all you need on that point. My issue is that the top clubs clearly don't need protecting from City - we aren't the ones driving the market up like this. They're doing a perfectly good job of that without us!

Delaney just can't help himself in making this about City, because he's blinded by a clear agenda against the club - even when the facts clearly don't support his agenda.

 

[The Preacher]

Idioms, oxymorons and now we have our good friend the homonym.

What about a bit of zeugma?

Ok, I’ll take my coat and my leave!

 

[aguero93:20]

What about a bit of zeugma?

Ok, I’ll take my coat and my leave!

That's wrecked the thread and my head.

 

[domalino]

Not quite mate. What I was challenging was his assertion that the clubs outside of PSG, United and City need the protection of the regulations to allow them to compete - his 'this is why FFP is necessary' line, and his tenuous conflation of City with this same issue.

My point was that these poor urchins like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are perfectly happy to compete at the top end of the market, so FFP palpably isn't working if that's its objective.

The facts just don't bear out that somehow City is forcing these clubs to overpay. That was the point I was trying to make.

Clearly PSG inflated the market - I would never question that. One look at the table tells you all you need on that point. My issue is that the top clubs clearly don't need protecting from City - we aren't the ones driving the market up like this. They're doing a perfectly good job of that without us.

Delaney just can't help himself in making this about City, because he's blinded by a clear agenda against the club - even when the facts clearly don't support his agenda.

If City had unrestricted spending and Mansour had the mood (maybe after being cleared of wrongdoing and dismantling FFP) then our rivals would be fucked. Unless they got bought out themselves, theres no way they could compete if the owners wanted to make it that way. Wolves might be our closest competitor.

Football probably does need some sort of financial control if you want a relatively even playing field and for the finances to spin out of control. I actually dont think many people would disagree with that if they detached it from the fact that FFP wasnt about that, it was about specifically hampering us.

The problem with people like Delaney is that he will die on a hill defending FFP, a form of financial control rotten from its inception and never aimed at ensuring the things he says he wants.

If someone sensible actually came up with a financial system where no one was allowed to out spend the rest 5 to 1 evety year but also new owners could raise their clubs to the top table, I think most of us would be ok with it.

 

[Nibler13]

Not quite mate. My issues were with his assertion that the clubs outside of PSG, United and City need the protection of the regulations to allow them to compete - his 'this is why FFP is necessary' line - and his tenuous conflation of City with this same issue.

My point was that these poor, penniless urchins like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are perfectly happy to compete at the top end of the market (indeed they've been the ones driving the market up historically, before PSG started grandstanding with Neymar and Mbappe) - so FFP palpably isn't working if that's its objective, and neither is this apparent strategy on the part of PSG to dramatically price out any other club from the market outside of the three named.

The facts just don't bear out that somehow City is forcing these clubs to overpay. That was the point I was trying to make.

Clearly PSG inflated the market - I would never question that. One look at the table tells you all you need on that point. My issue is that the top clubs clearly don't need protecting from City - we aren't the ones driving the market up like this. They're doing a perfectly good job of that without us!

Delaney just can't help himself in making this about City, because he's blinded by a clear agenda against the club - even when the facts clearly don't support his agenda.

Also, while true PSG inflated the market w/ Neymar and Mbappe...at least Neymar was considered a top 5 player worldwide at thh time, and Mbappe was as close as it came to a sure thing to enter that level of player. So high prices were paid, but for incredible talent. Couldnt you argue Barca spending what they did on Coutinho and Dembele did more damage then PSG paying for Neymar, as nobody would have considered either player even close to Neymar/Mbappe level of talent? (I could be looking back incorrectly, it is possible Dembele was that highly thought of, but def not Coutinho).

 

[bluemoon32]

Uefa are cnuts...
Sorry, just getting the thread back on track after the boffins had taken over

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

This is like the time everyone knew Pep's next club would be City, yet our enemies refused to believe or entertain it, insisting United was always his ambition.

It is only when he was officially unveiled, the horrible reality saw penny drop.

It will be the same with our Uefa battle, I sincerely believe that.

When this is all done, the sober reality when our evidence becomes public, will leave them all remembering again they underestimated our club (again).

 

[BlueMoonz1977]

We're not asking the right question here – it should be how were PSG able to afford Neymar and Mbappe, and why aren't they up before the dock?

This is completely separate discussion but they could do it because they got a 100m a year sponsorship from Qatar and the UEFA investigator allowed it despite objections of the rest of the panel.

Then when the chief judge of the AC found out and forced a new investigation, CAS ruled UEFA had run out of time with their own regulations only allowing 10 days between verdict and reopening.

let’s not forget this was the same Yves Leterme who ordered the investigation. Hired a company to value the sponsorship which came in at around £7m. PSG hires their own and got it valued at £100m

leterme then decided to approve the PSG valuation at £100m.

funny how I think he is also on the board of the qutari tourism board

 

[kaz7]

This was my first post on page 1,do i get a prize?

When are they going to stop flogging this dead horse,take them to court this time,no more mr nice guy

 

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

If City had unrestricted spending and Mansour had the mood (maybe after being cleared of wrongdoing and dismantling FFP) then our rivals would be fucked. Unless they got bought out themselves, theres no way they could compete if the owners wanted to make it that way. Wolves might be our closest competitor.

Football probably does need some sort of financial control if you want a relatively even playing field and for the finances to spin out of control. I actually dont think many people would disagree with that if they detached it from the fact that FFP wasnt about that, it was about specifically hampering us.

That's pure conjecture though. You may be right, but our owners' stated desire to see a self-sustaining model suggests we would always have our self-imposed limits.

And I think we're talking crossed purposes. My point is that clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool clearly don't need protecting from anyone, never mind City - they're quite happy to grossly inflate the market all by themselves. FFP is plainly ineffective if this is the point. As you say - it's designed to lock in those self-same clubs, and to keep out any competition outside of the G14.

Delaney didn't say that though - he said it was to protect these clubs from PSG, United and City. Which a typically ill-informed, agenda-driven load of drivel from a talentless reporter with no interest in exploring the facts behind any of the positions he takes.