Topic: Man City - cheating bastards rumbled

[Lycan]

I really hope you are right mate.

Then we can have our League Cup and you can have your three league titles.

Who do you support?

[gazzam1963]

Can I ask a serious hypothetical question:

If we get awarded the three league titles, then would that change anyone’s views towards FSG?

EDIT: Even if we don’t get awarded them but they get stripped of them would that change?

I think it’s been lost the last few weeks how good the club was run , a big majority online are clamouring for a similar state takeover along the lines of city and PSG .

[Dim Glas]

Who do you support?

I’m guessing Aston Villa.

[trinityroad]

I’m guessing Aston Villa.

Yes Villa. Added avatar.

[Dim Glas]

Yes Villa. Added avatar.

 

And it shows how many teams have been cheated through all this, your boys and the league cup final being a great example, loads of teams as well with European football. It all trickles down, it’s mad really.

[semit5]

Who do you support?

They have cheated
both Villa and Spurs in recent finals

[wampa1]

I really hope you are right mate.

Then we can have our League Cup and you can have your three league titles.

We'd get a League Cup as well : D

[oojason]

.
A few articles from today - for anyone wanting to catch up / wondering what is going on...



From this morning...

'BREAKING: Man City charged by Premier Leaue with numerous breaches of financial rules following a four-year investigation.
This is unprecedented:' - https://xcancel.com/martynziegler/status/1622539544078827520





'Premier League statement':-

www.premierleague.com/news/3045970



Manchester City's 'Club Statement' in response to being charged with over 100+ offences by the Premier League:-

www.mancity.com/news/club/club-statement-premier-league-63811282



'Premier League charges Manchester City over alleged financial rule breaches' - by Paul MacInnes:-

League refers alleged breaches to independent commission
Alleged financial breaches cover period from 2009-10 to 2017-18

www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/06/manchester-city-charged-by-premier-league-over-alleged-financial-rule-breaches



'Manchester City’s Premier League charges: the key questions answered' - by Paul MacInnes:-

After the champions were charged with 101 rule breaches, we look at how we got here, what it means and what happens next

www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/06/manchester-city-premier-league-charges-key-questions-answered



'If Manchester City are guilty they have betrayed football as a spectacle' - by Barney Ronay:-

Sport only works if it is on some level real, credible and straight – any club that breaks the rules must be harshly punished

www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/06/if-manchester-city-are-guilty-they-have-betrayed-football-as-a-spectacle



'Manchester City charged with breaking financial rules by Premier League':-

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64536785 - with some epic slanted work on behalf of Man City by BBC's regular City mouthpiece Simon Stone



'‘Going to war with the champions’: Why the Premier League is taking on Man City, and what comes next':-

The Premier League now faces the ultimate test of itself in a pivotal moment for the game, writes Miguel Delaney

www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/man-city-premier-league-financial-punishment-b2276736.html



'Manchester City Charged With Years of Financial Violations' - by Tariq Panja:-

The Premier League accused City of breaking rules related to revenues, sponsorships and contracts. One potential penalty is expulsion from the league.

www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/sports/soccer/manchester-city-premier-league-financial-charges.html



'Manchester City charged by Premier League with breaking financial rules' - by Martyn Ziegler, Matt Lawton:-

Club facing the threat of relegation if the charges are proven

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/manchester-city-charged-by-premier-league-with-breaking-financial-rules-3nfrpj36s

^ or article in full here - https://archive.is/Kdsaq



'Latest @SkyNews on the biggest investigation into a club in Premier League history - the charges facing Manchester City, the alleged financial wrongdoing and whether they could be relegated' - https://xcancel.com/RobHarris/status/1622600943849046019 (with 4 minute video)



'Manchester City 'surprised' after being charged by Premier League for alleged financial breaches' - a 20 minute video from Sky Sports News:-

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/s6_xLsBaGZA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/s6_xLsBaGZA</a>




'The one thing City was actually punished for by Uefa was not cooperating with its investigation. It sued [the] PL in High Court over league’s request for documents and charged with failure to cooperate. And yet this is the [Man City's] statement' - https://xcancel.com/tariqpanja/status/1622602750574862338






'Former PM of Belgium and Former Chief Investigator of UEFA Yves Leterme: "We had hard evidence against City. I'm convinced they committed fraud. Sponsor money was paid by the owner. They used an army of lawyers to obstruct our staff. The current PL investigation is broader than ours was".':-

https://sporza.be/nl/2023/02/06/wordt-city-nu-wel-zwaar-gestraft-ex-jager-yves-leterme-schat-in-twee-zaken-kunnen-dossier-versterken~1675695123275 (translated)



'What Pep Guardiola has previously said about quitting Man City over Financial Fair Play breaches':-

www.goal.com/en-gb/news/what-pep-guardiola-said-quitting-man-city-financial-fair-play-breaches/blt4620d9e4a748966f



'In May last year, Pep Guardiola said he'd leave the club if Man City ever lied to him. Today, they have been charged by the Premier League over breaking financial rules across nine seasons.' - https://xcancel.com/ESPNFC/status/1622587940630106113






From 2018...

'Manchester City paid Roberto Mancini extra via Abu Dhabi club, claims leak':-

In 2014 City were fined Ł20m by Uefa for breaking FFP regulations after the club was found to have overvalued sponsorship deals provided by companies associated with Abu Dhabi’s ruling family.

www.theguardian.com/football/2018/nov/08/manchester-city-roberto-mancini-abu-dhabi-money-second-contract-sheikh-mansour



Earlier in 2022...

Let us not forget Trinh Thu Trang - CEO of 8Xbet (an official Man City sponsor) - and also part-time photo frame model!:-



^ and https://mobile.twitter.com/DougDoug88/status/1577037319114149888



'The next time a Manchester City fan mentions innocence etc, remind them there's pages upon pages to show otherwise. Here's a quick explainer on some of them.':-

https://xcancel.com/AdamJoseph____/status/1622889676855197697 (a twitter thread chronicling City's leaked emails on them circumventing and breaking of rules)



'If you don't know about the evidence against City, look at this thread from last year, and a 67-page PDF of emails illustrating dodgy behaviour, described in thread. Much of which we reported before anyone had heard of Football Leaks' - https://xcancel.com/sportingintel/status/1622716924290367499 & https://vimeo.com/721879685 (from 12.54 onwards)



'It’s Not Just What Manchester City Won. It’s What Others Lost' - by Rory Smith:-

Players, and fans, can accept losing. It is part of sports. It is different, though, if they find out one side wasn’t playing by the same rules.

www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/sports/soccer/manchester-city-premier-league-rules.html

^ or article in full here - https://archive.is/xj7ux



a quality post from keyop - from the future...

That's a great summary, and exactly where I'm at in terms of the ownership. Regardless of our mistakes, or how much we could've/should've spent, or who we could've/should've bought (or got rid of), the unavoidable truth is we were playing against a club with all the cheat codes .

A club that can spend the GDP of a small country on defenders until they get it right. Or Ł100m on Jack fucking Grealish, and not worry about him having zero impact or sitting on the bench. Or win the league on the final day,  and then spend Ł900k a week to get a goal machine that all the other European clubs were after.

I've been accused many times of being pro-FSG, but have always said I don't care who the owners are - provided they meet a clear set of criteria such as running us properly, modernising the club, making us competitive again on and off the pitch, and not leveraging us with unsustainable debts. I'm 'Pro-fairness' far more than being a huge fan of our owners, and still stand my argument that it's City that skewed so many people's views of FSG and Jurgen's tenure - a lot more than many realise. We won't get those years back, but I do think it's important to have perspective, and to realise that those years weren't 'wasted' or 'neglected'. We were cheated, pure and simple - with every pound spent having to make an impact, every injured player becoming a huge burden, and every point dropped possibly being the difference between champions and second place (as we painfully experienced twice on the final day).

The ideal outcome from here (whether FSG stay or not) is for City to be nailed to the wall and relegated, Guardiola to leave, our players to feel that justice has been done, and that their efforts were not in vain (and were in fact herculean under the circumstances). Jurgen, the players and the fanbase become re-energised, and other clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle become next on the list for some major scrutiny (plus PSG and anyone else cooking the books in Europe...).

Then hopefully the gulf states get spooked and get their grubby hands off our league, retreat to their palaces in the desert, whilst their sportswashing projects are gradually dismantled, and whilst they watch their profits tumble as the world finally addresses climate change and moves away from oil for good.

City's titles are then stripped, and they linger in the Championship having lost all their best players in a desperate fire sale. Jurgen extends his contract again, and without the burden of City/Guardiola and their bottomless money pit - he rebuilds his next great team as he always wanted to - on a level playing field.

Arsenal win the league in May, we resolve our midfield in the summer, and come out fighting in August - all driven on by the desire to have those parades that City and Covid so cruelly deprived us of. We win the 3 extra titles we deserved, and turn the whole city red many times over as we add to our trophy cabinet and the Champions wall. Instead of people remembering 2017-2022 as the years we didn't maximise our position, they'll see that it was amazing we won anything at all - given the odds that were stacked against us. We'll be remembered as the club that took on the oil cheats and slogged it out for 5 seasons - and the only team that got anywhere near them, whilst other clubs weren't even at the races. We'll turn a corner this season eventually, and gradually rediscover all the ingredients that have made the last 6 years such a great ride, and which almost culminated in footballing immortality last summer.

Form (and cheating..) are temporary. Class is permanent. Our perch awaits...

[Wabaloolah]

Hope they get ejected by the PL, but they will be awarded a small symbolic fine. Also weird its not a bigger story in the media. Its a massive watershed moment and potentially one the most defining in modern football, and the headline on the BBC is Marsch getting sacked and their reaction page is on the Marsch reactions and meaningless stuff from the weekend?

it was on the BBC News at One

[Samie]

As DN said it all trickles down. While us and the macs have been screwed over titles other clubs like Villa have lost cups and teams missed out on a European spot. They've fucked over everyone basically.

[Barneylfc∗]

They have cheated
both Villa and Spurs in recent finals

Hope we agree to let them keep their league cups so Harry Kane still doesn't have a trophy 

[Son of Spion]

I really hope they get what's coming this time. They've systematically taken the piss out of the PL and the the other clubs in it actually adhering to the rules. They've brought the game into disrepute and laughed about it, aided and abetted by the likes of Sky and big swathes of the media.

I know it won't happen, but they definitely should be stripped of the titles they fraudulently acquired. They also need relegating to the lowest tier, if the lowest tier would even take them, and why on earth should they? I mean who wants or needs barefaced cheats in your league? They are a national disgrace. A monumental embarrassment and the epitome of all that's rotten in sport and life in general.

[Dim Glas]

the knock on effect is genuinley bonkers, all the teams Abu Dhabi have ‘beaten’ in cup ties even before getting to finals. All those teams (everton being a  prime example) they leapfrogged over once they got money etc etc.

And yes, so many of those teams fanbases didn’t give a shit about what they where doing and happy to turn a blind eye and even worse, happy to cheer them on -because it stopped a certain other team from winning 

[lobsterboy]

It will be just like CAS.
Lawyered up to the hilt they will be guilty of everything but will avoid any punishment, sliding out from under it all with a greasy smile, a nod, a wink and a lot of "gifts."
Their pet journalists and pundits will exonerate them in the press and on the telly.  MPs with vested interests will pressure behind the scenes.
Their money and influence within our establishment is too great.
Our souls were sold way back.

[Barneylfc∗]

Would the cups even be up for grabs with any sanctions?
One is run by the FA, the other is the Football League. Wouldn't they need to decide themselves if they were to be stripped?

[Onward Liverpudlian]

If City are guilty (and we know they are) then I don't see how it is even possible for it not to affect all their PL titles and other trophies 'won' since 2008. They will ALL be tarnished, massive asterisks against them (* they cheated), the PL brand would be destroyed, yet wally's like Delaney think it is unlikely the authorities would go backwards stripping titles and prefer to relegate them.

My solution would be to deduct 3 points off them every season since 2008 AND relegate them.

[Flaccido Dongingo]

I'm not getting any hopes up, but if the PL don't sanction them very very severely then the domestic game is all but done, punishing them financially isn't a punishment, send them to L2 and give them a 5 year transfer ban, anything other than very harsh punishment will send no message or deterrent to other Sportswashers like Saudi FC.

[Koplass]

On the very slim chance that their titles are stripped and we are awarded the three we were cheated out of, could we spend all of next season parading Steven Gerrard around every stadium in the country, in a full Liverpool kit (John Terry style), and get him to wave to every, single opposition fan going whilst holding his medal? 

[Johnny Foreigner]

Interesting to see what Abu Dhabi will do now; even if they manage to (god knows how) get away with it; Pep looks a bit tired; their squad needs some rebuilding and the previous strategy of throwing money left and right must stop.. They gonna get a hard time at any away game - and the mercenaries - present and possible new recruits -  might have just as good options elsewhere..

Lot of bad press for the owners - and wondering if they go hell bent to defend themselves and go on the offensive or they slowly start to drift away (if they are able to)

[jillc]

It will be just like CAS.
Lawyered up to the hilt they will be guilty of everything but will avoid any punishment, sliding out from under it all with a greasy smile, a nod, a wink and a lot of "gifts."
Their pet journalists and pundits will exonerate them in the press and on the telly.  MPs with vested interests will pressure behind the scenes.
Their money and influence within our establishment is too great.
Our souls were sold way back.

They can't appeal to CAS that has already been said. Also, they've already tried to stop it getting this far and here they are being charged with 101 charges. If they get found guilty they will have the book thrown at them, there is no other alternative now.

[PeterTheRed ...]

One issue about retrospectively awarding titles to the 2nd place team, is that perhaps the 3rd and 4th place team thought they had little to play for.
For example, in the 17/18 season, city finished with 100 points.
Utd could be awarded the title, due to finishing 2nd on 81 points. Spurs only finished 4 points behind Utd, but that could certainly have been different if they knew they were in a title race (insert Spurs jokes here, lol)
We finished 4th on 75 points, ending the season with 'only' a
D, W,D,D,L,W, perhaps as we took an eye off the league as we had the CL final to contest. Again, if we had a chance to win the league, I'm sure we'd have gone for it.
It's a nightmare scenario all around.

I don't think that the PL could simply "take" or "give" the titles. If the crime is serious enough (and we all know that it is), all of Man City's results since 2009 should be annulled, and the matches registered with a 3-0 win for the opposition. The final league tables would be adapted accordingly.

Once that is done, other clubs will see how much damage they have suffered because of Man City's cheating: Lost CL and EL revenues, lost TV revenues, lost PL revenues, and all of that depending on the results in their games against Man City.

Other clubs should sue the shit out of Man City over all that lost revenues. They should go into administration, and if they want to start another club, it should be placed in the lowest tier of the football pyramid. Anyway, the decision is in the hands of the other 19 Premier League clubs, and they should do the right thing ...

[trinityroad]

They can't appeal to CAS that has already been said. Also, they've already tried to stop it getting this far and here they are being charged with 101 charges. If they get found guilty they will have the book thrown at them, there is no other alternative now.

This just sounds too good to be true.

[jillc]

This just sounds too good to be true.

It's been confirmed by a number of journalists already.

[S]

It's a real fucking shame there's no Monday Night Football. For once I really want to listen to Micah Richards defend this.

He’s released a statement.

BWAHAHAHAHA I love it! It’s just quality! It just is man, it’s just quality for the football club!

[Lycan]

Yes Villa. Added avatar.

Ah, thought so. Just couldn't remember you playing them in a League Cup final. That's what threw me.

[alonsoisared]

Incidentally any chance we might change this thread title before Madrid smash us all over the Bernabeu in a couple of weeks time?

[koptommy93]

If the emails were obtained illegally how can they be admissable as evidence? They will get off we all know it.

[Red-Soldier]

Lets hope this is the PL drawing a line in the sand!  101 charges is just an absolute piss take!  I wonder if our government will lean on the PL to go easy on them.

[Cu Chulainn]

We'd get a League Cup as well : D

They beat Watford and Stoke in FA Cup finals as well.

[Romford_Red]

They aren't worried, and neither should we be.
Khaldoon will burn down the entire Premier League house if it comes to it.

Someone should remind them that burning down the house you live in is baaaaaad.

[Crosby Nick]

His son is a coach at Man City.

Hopefully not the Nutritionist.

[Lycan]

Got to laugh how the blue loon brigade is blaming us for this. Just like that lot off GOT they are. Never accept responsibility for anything. Just blame LFC when you get caught doing something wrong.

[Lycan]

Hopefully not the Nutritionist.

[Lycan]

Someone should remind them that burning down the house you live in is baaaaaad.

Words of a worried person them.

[In the Name of Klopp]

Ah, thought so. Just couldn't remember you playing them in a League Cup final. That's what threw me.

Don't forget how they robbed Watford too.

[Qston]

Will they have to hand back their champions league titles?

[semit5]

Imagine all the (many) lower league teams they have cheated out of reaching the next round of cup competitions 😉

[TSC]

Been referred to an ‘independent’ body.  Brown envelope alert.

[trinityroad]

Will they have to hand back their champions league titles?

 

[lobsterboy]

They can't appeal to CAS that has already been said. Also, they've already tried to stop it getting this far and here they are being charged with 101 charges. If they get found guilty they will have the book thrown at them, there is no other alternative now.

I meant they simply will get away with it, just like they did with the case that went to CAS.
Too powerful, too much money. They could probably bankrupt the PL just with the legal stuff from their spare change and they know it.
TV and press are bought up, especially their transfer money has been big business for selling their rags and shows, as well as the EPL "brand".
I'd love it more than Kevin Keegan to see them taken too task but this is rotten, corrupt, morally bereft Britain, where anything is for sale so I have little hope.