Man City - the new bitters?

[DaveT]

16 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Brazil national team apparently…

 

He’s on twice that salary at City

[Bobby Hundreds]

I imagine he has a high paid consultation role at some Abu Dhabi company that supplements the work he does as a football manager.

[Scott_M]

5 minutes ago, DaveT said:

He’s on twice that salary at City

Likely.

 

Some Abu Dhabi crypto currency company with no office, no portfolio & 1 employee making up the difference.

[Barrington Womble]

On 06/04/2022 at 03:30, Jose Jones said:

We have already dicked both Utd and Everton away with a 9-1 score between them.  Not worried about home matches against them at all.  Spurs at home will be tricky as they are set up to take advantage of us a bit.

Man City have Wolves and West Ham both away which could be potential point droppers - the rest of their games are easy though.

I always think anyone can take points off city. Someone just needs to have a day were they defend really well and use the ball on the counter enough that it keeps them nervous. They obviously have some teams that fly by like Burnley, but I think they can look vulnerable to any side that can defend quite well. 

On 06/04/2022 at 11:25, magicrat said:

Media falling at the feet of Foden today .

Little shit looks like he’s more suited to snatching handbags from the back of a moped . Hope Virg kicks him into row Z

He gave us the run around at Anfield to be fair..although it was milner marking him. I feel sure they'll use him down the left again. Trent's performance will be key I think. 

[Halcyon Days]

The Abu Dhabi bots have had their hands full with Nick today, good on him.

[Jose Jones]

See Der Spiegel are continuing to investigate where the British media fear to tread - although at least this is from the Beeb:

 

An investigation into potential rule breaking at Manchester City is focused on illegal payments for underage players, inflated sponsorship deals and hidden salary payments made to a former manager, German newspaper Der Spiegel claims.

The Premier League has been investigating the club for three years, the publication says.

 

But Der Spiegel has now published details from its own investigation conducted in conjunction with the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) journalism network.

It offers detail on each of the three areas it claims form the focus of the Premier League's enquiries.

 

The Premier League and Manchester City declined to comment when approached by BBC Sport.

However, it is understood City believe the latest details are a continuation of previous allegations in relation to Financial Fair Play regulations, which they feel are designed to damage the club. It is thought the club also want to respect the ongoing process with the Premier League by not commenting.

 

According to Der Spiegel, the Premier League champions allegedly pressured underage players "to sign contracts with Manchester City through monetary payments, in violation of the rules".

Club sponsors in Abu Dhabi are alleged to have "provided only a portion of their payments to the club themselves", with the remainder reportedly made up by club owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family.

 

City are also accused of paying a "significant portion" of former manager Roberto Mancini's compensation "by way of a fictitious consultancy contract".

In 2020, City had a two-year ban from European club competitions overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Uefa had ruled they had committed "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations between 2012 and 2016.

 

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said City had showed a "blatant disregard" to Uefa's investigation into potential FFP breaches, even though it found "no conclusive evidence that they disguised funding from their owner as sponsorship".

Uefa began its investigation into City after Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging the club had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

 

During testimony to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a legal representative of the Finance Ministry in Abu Dhabi claimed Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development (ADUG) - which owned Manchester City until last year - was "completely unconnected" to the government of the United Arab Emirates or the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

 

In 2021, City lost a ruling by the court of appeal, which confirmed that the Premier League was continuing to investigate the champions for alleged breaches of financial fair play.

City's legal team did not want it reported that it was challenging the jurisdiction of Premier League arbitrators to investigate the case.

Analysis

BBC sports editor Dan Roan

These revelations threaten to reawaken the controversy that has long surrounded the finances of the dominant force in the English game, despite City's previous denials of wrongdoing.

While City successfully appealed against a Champions League ban in 2020 after Cas handed the club a landmark victory over Uefa, they were still heavily criticised for a "severe breach" of regulations by failing to co-operate with Uefa's investigative process.

Meanwhile, a Premier League probe - originally launched in 2018 - continued. And now we have been told what it allegedly involves.

 

Last year a court of appeal judge expressed his concern at how long the inquiry was taking, saying that it was "a matter of legitimate public concern, that so little progress has been made…"

 

According to Der Spiegel, that investigation drags on, and league bosses could now come under pressure from other clubs to reach a conclusion. It has been suggested that the league does not have the same time limitations on its investigative power as Uefa did.

By the time its investigation is completed, however, City could easily have claimed a fourth title in five years.

[JagSquared]

The only punishment that would hurt their owners would be to strip them of titles and cups. fines won’t hurt them, points deductions also mean nothing as it leaves the previous years unpunished. All clubs should have their accounts and income independently scrutinised (although they could prob bribe them).
 

You can’t sportswash if you’re publicly called cheats. none of this will happen as they will just drag it out for years in courts bankrupting any challengers. 

[deiseach]

[Bjornebye]

 

 

 

 

[Scott_M]

Guardiola was asked about the reports today. He side stepped them.

[JagSquared]

12 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

Guardiola was asked about the reports today. He side stepped them.

Journalists should keep asking then until he or the owners address them.

[littletedwest]

It's a joke. Cheating cunts, everyone knows but nothing ever happens 

[El Rojo]

13 hours ago, deiseach said:

That’s brilliant. I’ve actually watched that biscuit video too. In fairness, the Man City title celebration events are good for a cringe or two. 

[El Rojo]

 

[Anubis]

1 minute ago, El Rojo said:

 

Is that Trailer Park Boys UK remake?

[Mudface]

Hairs on the back of the neck stuff-

 

 

[Bobby Hundreds]

Theyre killing the game, because we are so good and are actually pushing them their domination doesn't seem so casual, look at how the league the last 5 years looks without us in it, throw in their domestic cups too. It's obscene, their cheating is stolen valor it's ruining every competition they're in.

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

Theyre killing the game, because we are so good and are actually pushing them their domination doesn't seem so casual, look at how the league the last 5 years looks without us in it, throw in their domestic cups too. It's obscene, their cheating is stolen valor it's ruining every competition they're in.

They’re cheating Cunts 

[Bob]

11 hours ago, Mudface said:

Hairs on the back of the neck stuff-

 

 

What the fuck was that?

[Mudface]

7 minutes ago, Bob Spunkmouse said:

What the fuck was that?

Sends chills down your spine, doesn't it? These days, it's rare to see such authenticity and spontaneity. 

[Anubis]

Than PL will drag their feet on the investigation for another few seasons until Newcastle are up to speed, then quietly shelve it on the basis The league is competitive between Newcastle and City.

 

It’ll be City and Newcastle up top.

 

Below that there’ll be a group made up of Liverpool, Chelsea, Utd, Spurs and Arsenal battling it out for best of the rest. The PL will hope that one of the teams from that group might make a fist of it with City and Newcastle each season, but that’ll be it.

[Barrington Womble]

3 hours ago, Anubis said:

Than PL will drag their feet on the investigation for another few seasons until Newcastle are up to speed, then quietly shelve it on the basis The league is competitive between Newcastle and City.

 

It’ll be City and Newcastle up top.

 

Below that there’ll be a group made up of Liverpool, Chelsea, Utd, Spurs and Arsenal battling it out for best of the rest. The PL will hope that one of the teams from that group might make a fist of it with City and Newcastle each season, but that’ll be it.

But the PL is just it's members. I don't really see what is in the interests of the members of the PL to let it slide. The issue here is City (and no doubt Newcastle down the line) can just out lawyer the PL. There are no rules that can wrap them up. They're the equivalent of the wife of the chancellor paying what tax she wants. It was legal. She's paying more because it looks bad. The way to keep city in line is keep humiliating them and calling them out as cheats. It defeats the point of their sportswashing. No different to sunak's missus. 

[TheHowieLama]

If the ultimate juror is the CAS nothing will ever happen to either City, or potentially to Newcastle.

[Lario]

On 09/04/2022 at 08:27, Pete said:

They’re cheating Cunts 

I'll not have that said!

 

Apparently their offer for Haaland is €70M in agent commissions, €75M transfer fee & €30M net salary.

 

All completely above board dontcha know.

[Mook]

Fucking oddballs...