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

What do you think will be the outcome of the CAS hearing?

  • Two-year ban upheld

    Votes: 197 13.1%
  • Ban reduced to one year

    Votes: 422 28.2%
  • Ban overturned and City exonerated

    Votes: 815 54.4%
  • Other

    Votes: 65 4.3%

  • Total voters
    1,499
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Report in today’s Mirror
FA report confirms Champions League plan that would end Premier League top four race
The new plans would ensure that a club outside its country's top four could only enter the Champions League if they had won the title or reached the semi-finals of the Europa League the previous season.

A UEFA plan to limit the amount of clubs able to qualify for the Champions League has been set out in a Football Association report which details the possible end of the Premier League's top four race.

Moves to protect "elite European club revenue streams" are laid out in the FA report, which details the plans that European football's governing body have to expand their continental competitions.


The Premier League has long enjoyed a healthy tussle for the top four places in the division and Champions League qualification.

But such plans - which have long been pushed by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli - would threaten the competitiveness of the top flight, giving little chance to anyone outside the so-called 'Big Six' of ever sitting at Europe's top table.

For clubs outside that bracket, entry to future Champions League tournaments would have to come through either winning the Premier League outright, or reaching the semi-finals of a revamped 32-team Europa League.

It is the belief of some clubs that past performance in the Champions League should be placed above domestic results when determining qualifiers for the tournament, with the likes of Roma and Ajax reaching the semi-finals of recent competitions only to miss out on it entirely in future years.

Agnelli cited Roma as an example back in March when he questioned whether it was right for Atalanta to be in this year's competition, “without international history and thanks to just one great season.”


If the plan were to be in place this season then such a move would come as blow to the likes of Leicester, Wolves and Sheffield United, who have been battling it out with the more established sides such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham for a spot in the top four.

There are also plans for the Europa League to follow a similar pattern from 2024, with new teams able to qualify via league position or finishing in the last four of the new UEFA Conference League.

"The FA continues to work with all stakeholders to reach an acceptable position," the report adds.
 
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Report in today’s Mirror
FA report confirms Champions League plan that would end Premier League top four race
The new plans would ensure that a club outside its country's top four could only enter the Champions League if they had won the title or reached the semi-finals of the Europa League the previous season.

A UEFA plan to limit the amount of clubs able to qualify for the Champions League has been set out in a Football Association report which details the possible end of the Premier League's top four race.

Moves to protect "elite European club revenue streams" are laid out in the FA report, which details the plans that European football's governing body have to expand their continental competitions.


The Premier League has long enjoyed a healthy tussle for the top four places in the division and Champions League qualification.

But such plans - which have long been pushed by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli - would threaten the competitiveness of the top flight, giving little chance to anyone outside the so-called 'Big Six' of ever sitting at Europe's top table.

For clubs outside that bracket, entry to future Champions League tournaments would have to come through either winning the Premier League outright, or reaching the semi-finals of a revamped 32-team Europa League.

It is the belief of some clubs that past performance in the Champions League should be placed above domestic results when determining qualifiers for the tournament, with the likes of Roma and Ajax reaching the semi-finals of recent competitions only to miss out on it entirely in future years.

Agnelli cited Roma as an example back in March when he questioned whether it was right for Atalanta to be in this year's competition, “without international history and thanks to just one great season.”


If the plan were to be in place this season then such a move would come as blow to the likes of Leicester, Wolves and Sheffield United, who have been battling it out with the more established sides such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham for a spot in the top four.

There are also plans for the Europa League to follow a similar pattern from 2024, with new teams able to qualify via league position or finishing in the last four of the new UEFA Conference League.

"The FA continues to work with all stakeholders to reach an acceptable position," the report adds.

yet another blown to the game and another “final nail” in the coffin
 
Effectively the end of the Premier League as well. It would mean that it will be won by the same teams every year by virtue of the CL money and the only interest would be who gets relegated.

It would end it as a legitimate competition certainly. However, much as I would like to see the other 16 clubs chuck United, Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea out of the PL, I wonder whether, given the likely parlous state of post-coronavirus finances at places like Turf Moor, Villa Park and the Vitality, they will vote with their pockets and opt to keep the shiny bauble clubs that attract the best TV deals, in house. Turkeys voting for Christmas again, just as they did when meekly accepting FFP in the belief that nasty old ‘transfer fee inflating’ City were the problem back in 2012 or whenever it was. Also, isn’t the new PL CEO a stooge handpicked by the rags and the dippers?
Either way, if I were the owner of say Wolves, Everton or Sheffield United however, I would be inwardly boiling.
As to the longer term, I think fans and the media would just accept the new bent reality, in as much as it will be little different to the old bent reality that existed pre-Sheikh Mansour, when those same 4 clubs occupied the CL places for 6 seasons in a row from 2004 to 2010, before Spurs (just pipping us) eventually ousted one of them. Much media propaganda to the effect that the possibility of someone ‘doing a Leicester’ still existed, would doubtless be the order of the day. The only caveat to that ‘acceptance’ would be if the general feeling of apathy, and even aversion, to football that exists currently, courtesy of the PL’s gauche attempts to finish the season at all costs, at a time when our hospitals and care homes are awash with the dead and dying, persists in the longer term.
I get (rightly) accused of adverse negativity on here, but this is just the umpteenth example of the ‘rules’ being whatever the cartel wants them to be, and specifically targeted (as always) to nobble us permanently. Quite why people fixate on ‘fairness’ and the notion that we will ‘have our day in Court’, always eludes me. There is no fairness, just a rigged game. That UEFA is prepared to make this announcement at this time, suggests they are either confident that our evidence (in respect of our appeal against the 2 year ban) is weak, that they believe that undue pressure/influence can be brought to bear on CAS backstage to uphold our ban, and upfront via the usual faux outrage from the cartel’s media stooges, or, with Qatar onboard, that they simply don’t give a shit and will find some other way to exclude us in the event that we win our case.
The good news is that this announcement should, given the presumption that the process will be a fair one, bolster our chances at the CAS hearing (ie. it’s yet more evidence of an attempt to treat us differently and disproportionately). However, where I part company with many Blues, is in the belief that that presumption is well-founded. Both sides invariably make confident noises about Court cases, but someone always loses. CAS has overturned UEFA decisions before, but not one of this magnitude. I hope City has something up their sleeve, but certainly in the short term I can’t think what at the moment. There are too many imponderables to state where this will end, but that announcement yesterday feels like another serious kick in the teeth. I don’t even particularly want to be part of some closed shop bullshit designed to keep a load of plastic Messi worshippers in Hong Kong happy, but equally I hate the idea of those feckers putting one over on us
 
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UEFAs new plans are a disgrace. For me the history boys should be asked to finally go through with plans for a European league, I expect within 5 years they’ll be asking to return.
Restructure the prem and championship.
Fifa develop alternative competitions.
Would I miss the scum, the arse or bin dippers - absolutely not
 
UEFAs new plans are a disgrace. For me the history boys should be asked to finally go through with plans for a European league, I expect within 5 years they’ll be asking to return.
Restructure the prem and championship.
Fifa develop alternative competitions.
Would I miss the scum, the arse or bin dippers - absolutely not

I doubt any of us would. However, it’s the feeling of being stitched up that sticks in the craw, and I suspect that will be doubly true of our owners. Plus, and whatever mild dissent they may exhibit initially, the click driven media would fawn all over the revamped CL, leaving us (and the other PL clubs) to be treated like a sideshow. Also, how confident are you that the cartel clubs would not still compete in the PL, using it as a means to give game time to their squad players and youngsters?
 
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