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

[George Hannah]

David Conn needs to research his pieces better. If the deals were assessed as fair value then it doesn't matter.

Is there an echo?

 

[schfc6]

The likes of madrid juventus liverpool Bayern and the scum dont give a shit about having competition they want to be top dogs for ever raking in the million's and even the tv companies dont give shit as long as the history clubs who have trillions of fans keep signing up to there overpriced bias packages!!

Yes, but they need competition for this to happen. Germany & France are now finding that out. Spain have fucked themselves with tv deals. No one gives a shit about Italian football.
Future revenues are going to depend on emerging markets, and they are not loyal fans, they simply follow the best team in the main.

Also, it’s worth considering that UEFA, is mainly a bunch of selves serving established clubs, with ex footballers heavily involved.
They’ll be no match for ADUG.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Really?! ;-)

Ok to myself and a few special friends

 

[schfc6]

David Conn yesterday (Irish Times) has a piece saying the most serious allegation for UEFA is the diguised sponsorship claim that the Sheikh was funding Etihad's sponsorship (and presumably others).

Surely this will be impossible to prove for UEFA?

 

[Damanino]

Problems is we cant be 100% clear we are innocent. Some of these arabic sponsors looked shady from the start, the Sancho case also looks possible that we did try to to something shady.

And we signed so many youngsters around the world trough CFG and we have deals so many obscure clubs, middle men agents regarding youth signings that chances are that Fifa could be able to find some mistakes. Just like with Chelsea recently.

Most of these youngsters in the end never even got a first team chance City. Look at Sancho...
Some of them never ever turned up at City even at youth level. Look at the Norwegian loans of Ghana youngsters for 3-4 years in a row. Then Nordsjallend loan deal stuff...
These teams were getting youth players from City we never even knew they are ours. They never spent a day at Manchester probably.

If Uefa, PL, Fifa will dig enough I am afraid they will find stuff...

Even if they dont our reputation got damaged, already a small win for our rivals who are the lobby power behind all this for sure.

 

[George Hannah]

Ha :)
The most serious allegation (depending on timing, structure and value) is the Zuculini one and I'd be far more worried about having broken FIFA's regulations on TPO than any FFP consequences.

to get turned over for signing that useless specimen would put the tin hat on it ;(

 

[The perfect fumble]

For those of you who are suffering from moral queasiness, can I remind you of something I posted earlier.

The top 12 highest transfers of all time are currently playing for just 6 clubs: United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and PSG

The 10 highest paid footballers of all time are currently playing for just 7 clubs: as above plus Atletico Madrid and Arsenal.

Two points:

1. The rules have been put in place to protect this group at the top of the spending league, nothing more. Morality and fair play don't come into it.

2. City are challenging these clubs not because they have broken into that spending leage (City players are on neither of those lists), but because they are better

See you at the match tonight

I agree with this with only one caveat.

In addition to the above City pose an existential threat to a business model. Other owners, particularly American ones, see their clubs primarily as hugely successful profit generating machines, with one particular owner seeing their club as a very necessary cash cow.

Our owners don't see it that way, we operate to different time scales to other clubs, a different scope of investment, we plough back a greater portion of income generated and we're willing to sacrifice immediate return on investment to reach the pinnacle of success, rather than safely occupy the top four, Champions League place, maximisation of revenue Arsenal model.

In order to compete with City, owners of other clubs would have to think differently, abandon the gravy train model and become more like us, and that is something they will not countenance. The top six clubs are successful money generating brands, most of the American owners can't get their head round the concept of relegation, let alone what we're doing, they don't just see City as a rival, more like "the end of the world as we know it".

I've always been of the opinion that it is our business model that our rivals see as the greatest threat.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

That assumes that the UAE really does stand squarely behind Man City. Personally I have always thought that City belong to Sheikh Mansour. ABu Dhabi and the UAE are not going to make economic sacrifices for Man City who are just one of their many Princes football clubs.

UAE press release....hurt/disrespect my family and you will pay!!!

 

[citizen_maine]

I am afraid

you should have just posted this bit :-)

 

[mcfcphil]

That's all fine, but if they are refused access to the emails, as you would imagine they will be, then those same forces who are behind this inside & outside UEFA, will forever tar us with being guilty, but getting away with it.

Yeah that’s what I meant by the asterisk comment.

Those people will never give us credit - even if we released every email and were fully exonerated. If it wasn’t FFP they would find something else to devalue our achievements.

That’s what this is all about - they will always try to taint our achievements but I really couldn’t give a fuck if we’re winning major trophies.

 

[moomba]

We're about to run the gauntlet. Damage will be sustained. You know that.

What's the worst that could happen. Kicked out of champions League? Relegated?

We'll still have a club, we'll still have ambition. We'll still have games to play. And the journey back to the top will be a hell of a lot of fun.

A lot of us have lost a bit of the fire in the belly since 93.20. when you've seen the ultimate, what's left?

I reckon if we do cop it, many of us will rediscover that fire, and that's a small positive to take.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

An uneventful investigation maybe helps all parties in a way.

UEFA are seen to have done something but don’t have enough information to prove city of wrongdoing. And they avoid the financal risk of taking city on in the courts.

City are able to set the record that they are not guilty of any wrong doing (in a strictly legal sense). And avoid taking UEFA to court which they won’t want to do.

Our rivals and detractors will be able to put an asterisk next to all our achievements*

*which personally I couldn’t give a fuck about if we sweep up five trophies this year!

What would be great is once this is settled legally and nothing comes of it, we are then free to hammer DS etc who have libelled us.

No a not proven outcome will just keep the same shit going round & round. WE need to finish this now irrelevant of what UEFA, FIFA, PL, FA etc try to lay on us.

 

[City Man]

Pretty close to what I think. A bit more of C, and I suspect the club may swallow that for the sake of good relations.

Good summary in A to D. But there are too many unknowns in all of this to speculate on possible outcomes. The biggest one for me is the position of Etihad as sponsors. As fair value doesn't seem to be an issue then the key thing is whether Etihad are prepared to say if asked that all of the money came from them and they weren't a conduit in receipt of an AD bung. Surely this must emerge as a question at some point. Before anyone tells me that Etihad have already said this, no they haven't. Their statement was carefully worded in terms of general responsibility not specifically about this deal.

 

[waspish]

Yes, but they need competition for this to happen. Germany & France are now finding that out. Spain have fucked themselves with tv deals. No one gives a shit about Italian football.
Future revenues are going to depend on emerging markets, and they are not loyal fans, they simply follow the best team in the main.

Also, it’s worth considering that UEFA, is mainly a bunch of selves serving established clubs, with ex footballers heavily involved.
They’ll be no match for ADUG.

Yeah Thats a fair point.

 

[Gordyola]

Lots of panicking going on.
David Conn has reported that the CFCB (the UEFA body that runs FFP) we’re unwilling to investigate city, but were pushed into it by other forces within UEFA.
Like any large political body, there are entities within it with different agendas. UEFA is no different.
IMO the outcome will be something along the lines of...
“ UEFA have investigated the claims but have found that they do not raise anything significant over what was already disclosed to UEFA at the time.
Given that City have since improved year on year to a position of financial stability, which is the essence of FFP, no further sanctions will be levied.
There are certain technical accounting issues that City have agreed to regularise in future”
Blah blah.

Exactly I posted similar IMHO City and UEFA want this to go away

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make. One is a private investment company and the other runs a country. If you take the most cynical view possible on this then ADUG is little more than a front for the EC in order to disguise their involvement and separate it by using a private individual.

No point being made. ADEC got mentioned, and I was finding out how it fitted into the picture.

 

[HelloCity]

I feel like there’s minimal chance we’re getting off lightly here.

They are out to do us and probably think it’s their last chance to do so. Without a doubt these leaks were orchestrated so that this could happen.

As well as some harsh punishments, they’re probably hoping the knock on effects impact the the futures of players and manager.

It’s not going to be pretty but I think the difference with last time is that our reaction will be more volatile and we won’t take this as lightly as we did last time. There will be a strong reaction.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Surely this will be impossible to prove for UEFA?

I'd think so, from what's known.

 

[paulchapo]

No a not proven outcome will just keep the same shit going round & round. WE need to finish this now irrelevant of what UEFA, FIFA, PL, FA etc try to lay on us.

My take on it, a fight to the death. This has been rumbling on for years now and they just won't let it lie. This goes away something else will pop up or they will invent more rules. FFP being defeated in the courts is the first step and hopefully Dupont soon wins that case. Then dig up the dirt on everyone of our enemies, there is bound to be some and bring them down. Even if there isn't just throw the mud, some always sticks. Play them at their own game.

 

[mcfcphil]

No a not proven outcome will just keep the same shit going round & round. WE need to finish this now irrelevant of what UEFA, FIFA, PL, FA etc try to lay on us.

Exactly. This is an opportunity for city to put an end to the accusations in a legal sense. But while that’s the end from a legal perspective, you’re right in that the narrative will still be “UEFA were powerless” and we got away with it.

This scenario gets UEFA off the hook, our detractors can still comfort themselves by devaluing our achievements and we’ll just carry on picking up the silverware.

As I say, the investigation could have a decent outcome for all parties, especially us.