Topic: Man City - cheating bastards rumbled

[lfc_col]

If they really want to make an example, then they can go one further and fuck them out of the division

Put them in the Championship I say, and watch all their mercenaries abandon ship like the money hungry rats that they are

My guess is they'll find some way to get the PL to back down though, just like they did with UEFA 

Championship more like League two would be a far more fitting punishment

[Dr. Beaker]

Awarding us (or any other club) their ill-gotten titles just wouldn't feel right.

What didn't feel right was them winning it in the first place.

[rob1966]

It’s mad it took a kid hacking emails to bring this to a investigation

I didn't realise until I just heard it that it was a Portugese hacker that informed Der Spiegel

[PeterTheRed ...]

Out of interest, what do you want HMRC to do here? There's no suggestion that they have made fraudulent returns.

Money laundering?

[rocco]

Money laundering?

Tax evasion

[rob1966]

Awarding us (or any other club) their ill-gotten titles just wouldn't feel right. It'd be an empty gesture that's way too little too late

We were the best non doped team the seasons we finished 2nd, we smashed over 90pts in 2 of them, we well earned the medals and the trophies, so I'm happy to be retrospectively awarded them

[The North Bank]

Rui Pinto, player of the year !

he actually ended up in jail, should be given the nobel peace prize!!

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

They have allegedly paid managers and players off the books according to charges brought by the Premier League.

If proven that could be a big one.

Used to bug me how journalists would trot out the line that we had a bigger wage bill than them without a second thought.

[stockdam]

And the hypocrisy goes on.....

"if that means fooking the Premier league up and collapsing it then brilliant let’s go back to the days when it was a fair sport and not corrupted to help certain clubs to remain at the club"

Isn't it ironic that they get accused of cheating and they mention going back to a time when it was fair. Ok mate..........I agree, let's ban the cheaters and get back to times when it was fair.

[lfc79]

You would have thought the players would have wanted to be legally covered regarding any payments made not disclosed to the premier league, I'm not sure the extent to which the premier league would have access to an individual players tax records.

[RedSince86]

I like the fact I was driving on the main road in Prestwich to get home on the motorway this morning when the news broke on Talksport.

Had a sly grin knowing that sycophant goblin PrestwichBlue was probably hearing the news as well, noticed his Twitter hasn't been updated since yesterday.

Haven't looked on Blue Loon yet, should be fun reading.

[jillcwhomever]

We were the best non doped team the seasons we finished 2nd, we smashed over 90pts in 2 of them, we well earned the medals and the trophies, so I'm happy to be retrospectively awarded them

Exactly Klopp should have three titles with us now.

[lfc_col]

And the hypocrisy goes on.....

"if that means fooking the Premier league up and collapsing it then brilliant let’s go back to the days when it was a fair sport and not corrupted to help certain clubs to remain at the club"

Isn't it ironic that they get accused of cheating and they mention going back to a time when it was fair. Ok mate..........I agree, let's ban the cheaters and get back to times when it was fair.

Yeah back to a time when these no marks where regularly finishing mid table and below

[Wabaloolah]

They'll be docked something like 10-15 points this season imo and that will be that. Of course the premier league wait until it's the only season in years we aren't in contention 

Coincidence of course

what relevance does this season have to the seasons they are being charged over?

[S]

Man City stripped of their titles? Liverpool being awarded them? Some truly outlandish predictions on here, even by RAWK standards.

Don’t get your hopes up. This has happened before. Accept that City’s punishment will in no way reflect the severity of their wrongdoing.

[PeterTheRed ...]

Tax evasion

That too. A lot of serious crimes being investigated ...

[Darren G]

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?

 No chance that they're getting out of this with just a fine if found guilty.  As for the media, it's all over Sky, Talksport ESPN etc, etc.  It's also top of the BBC sport page.

Regardless, this is all just lovely, though long overdue.

[Lynndenberries]

Man City stripped of their titles? Liverpool being awarded them? Some truly outlandish predictions on here, even by RAWK standards.

Don’t get your hopes up. This has happened before. Accept that City’s punishment will in no way reflect the severity of their wrongdoing.

This feels different in my opinion. They have made the PL and FA look like fools.

[rafathegaffa83]

Will the bookies pay out on bets that were lost due to the cheats?

I wondered about that. The ramifications touch so many aspects (broadcasting contracts, bonuses, add-ons, prize money, trophies, gambling payouts etc). The fallout is massive and widespread

[lfc_col]

No chance that they're getting out of this with just a fine if found guilty.  As for the media, it's all over Sky, Talksport ESPN etc, etc.  It's also top of the BBC sport page.

Regardless, this is all just lovely, though long overdue.

I still cant still the PL doing much to them there spineless they wont want to risk upsetting city owners

[WanderingRed]

This feels different in my opinion. They have made the PL and FA look like fools.

City only got away with it last time on a technicality - Don't think they'll be so lucky this time

[CowboyKangaroo]

Money laundering?

Tax evasion

But they almost certainly haven't. The information they are required to disclose to the PL is different to the information they are required to disclose to HMRC. Breaking a private organisations rules is one thing. Committing a serious crime is another

[MJD-L4]

Haven't looked on Blue Loon yet, should be fun reading.

Just popped in and it's pretty standard stuff really. Everyone is against them, they've been set up to fail FFP and all the "Cartel" or "The hateful 8" are in on it.

Any of them even dare to question, even hypothetically, whether or not they're guilty & they're immediately shouted down and called a rag/dipper etc.

Pretty much any other day over there for them really.

[El Lobo]

I still cant still the PL doing much to them there spineless they wont want to risk upsetting city owners

If they dont, then I'd imagine the Super League moves a lot, lot closer.

[lfc_col]

I'd love to see them relegated and the titles handed over but surely that won't happen will it

[CowboyKangaroo]

You would have thought the players would have wanted to be legally covered regarding any payments made not disclosed to the premier league, I'm not sure the extent to which the premier league would have access to an individual players tax records.

They have zero access. HMRC does not have a legal disclosure gateway with the PL. These payments were almost certainly disclosed to HMRC

[Lynndenberries]

City only got away with it last time on a technicality - Don't think they'll be so lucky this time

Exactly. This isn't just about teams like us or United who lost titles, which is obviously massive. This also affects Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, Leicester, basically anyone who narrowly missed out on European places because of what they have done. Clubs throughout the league should be up in arms about this. City have arrogantly belittled everyone.

[lfc_col]

They have zero access. HMRC does not have a legal disclosure gateway with the PL. These payments were almost certainly disclosed to HMRC

Plus arent they HMRC pretty ruthless at times too

[lfc79]

I wondered about that. The ramifications touch so many aspects (broadcasting contracts, bonuses, add-ons, prize money, trophies, gambling payouts etc). The fallout is massive and widespread

Apparently bookies T&C are that bets are paid out on the official result at the time, so subsequent disqualifications etc do not matter.

[stockdam]

It's brilliant stuff:

"The whole thing stinks, I think football was more enjoyable before this Premier league bollocks. I know we've been blessed with the last 15 years of our success but the money has taken over to the detriment of the game. As a club we can't go on allowing ourselves to be butt fucked all the time, we need to go after the clubs /people setting the narrative."

So on one hand it's great that they had 15 years of success but now money is ruining the game! Say wot! Which club has ruined the game? He may as well have said "let's go after the PL with all the ill-gained money we have".

[Flaccido Dongingo]

Any punishment should then be expanded into new wider PL/EFL rules to prevent barbarians such as Qatar/Saudis etc from owning PL clubs, due to their horrendous human rights abuses.

[Sharado]

"if that means fooking the Premier league up and collapsing it then brilliant let’s go back to the days when it was a fair sport and not corrupted to help certain clubs to remain at the club"

I mean that's literally what I'd like to happen, so fair play to them imo.

[JackWard33]

Man City stripped of their titles? Liverpool being awarded them? Some truly outlandish predictions on here, even by RAWK standards.

Don’t get your hopes up. This has happened before. Accept that City’s punishment will in no way reflect the severity of their wrongdoing.

I don’t think they’ll do anything retroactive …. But in fairness this has never happened before in the premier league

[Statto Red]

Man City stripped of their titles? Liverpool being awarded them? Some truly outlandish predictions on here, even by RAWK standards.

Don’t get your hopes up. This has happened before. Accept that City’s punishment will in no way reflect the severity of their wrongdoing.

United have been cheated out of a couple of titles by City's cheating too, not just us, if United kick up a fuss over this, then i can see City being stripped of the titles, but i'm not expecting much to come from it other than a fine.

[rafathegaffa83]

We were the best non doped team the seasons we finished 2nd, we smashed over 90pts in 2 of them, we well earned the medals and the trophies, so I'm happy to be retrospectively awarded them

Absolutely. They were well earned. Both ourselves and Man Utd should be awarded. Having a title not awarded label next to so many would be an absolute embarrassment for the PL

[Schmidt]

If they dont, then I'd imagine the Super League moves a lot, lot closer.

The Super League that City were invited to?

[CowboyKangaroo]

Plus arent they HMRC pretty ruthless at times too

Having provided legal advice on a fair few HMRC (including some FIS) investigations in my career, tenacious is the word I would use.

[Sharado]

If they dont, then I'd imagine the Super League moves a lot, lot closer.

I think this is an interesting point. If this investigation is toothless, and the punishment not significant, then the competition's rules are meaningless aren't they?

So why do massive clubs like liverpool, united, blah blah you know the ones need to stick around in a league that is the plaything of a nation state or two?

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

These charges... definitely backed up with evidence?

I'd settle for them having a transfer ban imposed sometime between now and May 31st, if it meant a decent shot at Bellingham.

Hard to see punishment being inflicted when this news would not have come as a shock to anyone.

[Darren G]

I still cant still the PL doing much to them there spineless they wont want to risk upsetting city owners

It's been a four year investigation, the result of which is 100 breaches by City over 14 years.  I don't think that the PL will give a flying fuck about upsetting the City owners at this point . The nature of City's response won't exactly put them in the PL's good graces either.  I was as sceptical as anybody on here about the UEFA/CAS shit-show, but I agree with Lynndenberries in that this feels different.