Is this the goverment starting to try to get this brushed under the carpet?
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City and Financial Doping | Charged by PL with 130 FFP breaches | Hearing begins 16th Sep 2024 | Concluded 9th Dec 2024 - Awaiting outcome
- Thread starter VanGaalEra
- Start date
There will be a rug. There will be a broom. Expect the two to meet, at which time Pep and club ownership can light their cigars with $1000 bill notes and have a good laugh.
It just gets better and better, of course the UK's relationship with the UAE is now under threat so expect this to be blown away into dust. Incredible.
Is anyone really surprised? The FA tried to stop the Saudis buying Newcastle but the government got involved to make sure it went through as it could have damaged relations. Everything in the UK is for sale to the highest bidder.
No one respects them anymore, even other fans now who used ti talk them up that I know just look at them with disdain. Won the treble and people shrugged so had to settle for about a month or ‘omg Grealish drinks alcohol’ stories instead.
That is that then. I expect a massive fine and no other repercussions. Sad day, premier league is going to be like the Bundesliga for the foreseeable future. You can get away with anything if you have the right connections.
Come on Citeh, Come on Citeh, Citeh Citeh Citeh!
bet even Aladdin is jealous of City’s magic carpet
Would be the time to just not bother with football at the top level, already losing a lot of time for it, doesn’t help we are crap mind, but stuff like this tells you the nail is in the coffin.
No integrity makes it the same as formula 1 a soap opera not a sport.
No integrity makes it the same as formula 1 a soap opera not a sport.
This sounds sinister, but there's not really much there. The only new information here appears to be that a government instrumentality is pushing back on a FOI request and a number of parties involved in an ongoing legal issue provided a "no comment" to some fishing journalists. Pretty standard stuff. The rest is repetitive filler.
FOI requests are rejected all the time relying on all manner of exemptions by government departments that do not wish to be in the news, sometimes for legitimate reasons and a lot of times as CYA. It's Rule #1 for communications between government employees to consider how such communication would look on the front page of a newspaper because a lot of times optics matter more than substance. Even if no untoward activity is going on, the optics of these communications still might harm relations if some government workers were getting chatty over email and the Emiratis were sensitive to public perception.
It's not shocking or unusual that a government agency would push back on a FOI request. In fact, it is probably to be expected. The Athletic still has their right to appeal and these communications could still be released if the grounds upon which these Departments are relying to reject the request are deemed bogus. That they are even relying on those grounds is cause for concern though because it is suggestive of an entanglement between an allegedly private enterprise and foreign relations (sportswashing).
Because of the lack of information here, these communications could range anywhere from a bunch of bored low-level government workers that are fans of rival clubs carelessly bantering over work communication channels about one of the biggest football stories of the year to actual, intentional high-level scheming to coordinate with the UAE government and get City out of this mess. We simply do not know from what the article presents.
It could very well be and probably likely is the case that the Emiratis are exerting pressure on the UK Government in this matter, but some pushback on FOI requests aren't what's going to prove it.
FOI requests are rejected all the time relying on all manner of exemptions by government departments that do not wish to be in the news, sometimes for legitimate reasons and a lot of times as CYA. It's Rule #1 for communications between government employees to consider how such communication would look on the front page of a newspaper because a lot of times optics matter more than substance. Even if no untoward activity is going on, the optics of these communications still might harm relations if some government workers were getting chatty over email and the Emiratis were sensitive to public perception.
It's not shocking or unusual that a government agency would push back on a FOI request. In fact, it is probably to be expected. The Athletic still has their right to appeal and these communications could still be released if the grounds upon which these Departments are relying to reject the request are deemed bogus. That they are even relying on those grounds is cause for concern though because it is suggestive of an entanglement between an allegedly private enterprise and foreign relations (sportswashing).
Because of the lack of information here, these communications could range anywhere from a bunch of bored low-level government workers that are fans of rival clubs carelessly bantering over work communication channels about one of the biggest football stories of the year to actual, intentional high-level scheming to coordinate with the UAE government and get City out of this mess. We simply do not know from what the article presents.
It could very well be and probably likely is the case that the Emiratis are exerting pressure on the UK Government in this matter, but some pushback on FOI requests aren't what's going to prove it.
Brown envelopes to you
Brown envelopes to them
Brown envelopes to everybody.
Yay!!!!!
The current FFP is being done away with anyway, and rightly so imho, as it benefits greatly the ow ers of clubs that happened to be near the top of the tree when the English game went global, almost if not all would have benefited greatly from outside benefactors in the past.
What concerns me is that the limit of spending 70% of football related income on football in future years invites people like the Glazers to stay and others of their ilk to "invest" in clubs, with 30% of all income being taken as dividends - interest payments going forward.
Slowly killing football one bribe at a time.
UEFA is already lost. If the PL folds...
I mean, whether this is real or from The Onion, not a soul is surprised if/when City moonwalk away from reprimand.
This could go in the hyper normalisation thread.
Red flag.
All a bit mad, and there's got to be some mileage in thinking there would be a degree pressure from Saudi and UAE to make sure Qatar don't get hold of a United.
Qatar would win who's got the biggest club bragging rights hands down.
Qatar would win who's got the biggest club bragging rights hands down.
As Fotball Leaks have shown, the truth about what’s going on is going to come to light at some point one way or the other.
They're a major gas supplier to the UK. Without Russian gas on the market probably don't want to piss them off. Similar to Saudi with Oil.
So this will all be swept under the rug with city fans frothing at the mouth about their "innocence" whilst all the success they've had in the last 15 years is not only built on literal human slavery and funded by blood money, they had to cheat their way to it on the footballing side as well.
This is also why Saudi Arabia was allowed to buy Newcastle. The UK was too scared not to let them do it. Pathetic.
This is also why Saudi Arabia was allowed to buy Newcastle. The UK was too scared not to let them do it. Pathetic.
You can pay your manager under the table, you can inflate your sponsorships and have 120 charges that nothing is going to happen to City or even PSG for buying their own players that nobody wanted. Al Khelaifi being the president of the European Club Association has a nice relationship with Alexander Qatarin.
But football is for the fans
.
But football is for the fans
.They will pay a huge fine and that will be the end of it.
It's infuriating that they will get away with it when smaller clubs have been heavily penalised for far less.
Every single club in the Premier League should just refuse to play them. Let them 'win' all 38 games by default. Sadly I don't think the majority of other clubs and fans will even bat an eyelid.
It's infuriating that they will get away with it when smaller clubs have been heavily penalised for far less.
Every single club in the Premier League should just refuse to play them. Let them 'win' all 38 games by default. Sadly I don't think the majority of other clubs and fans will even bat an eyelid.
So basically, the biggest enablers of sportwashing a regime is the UK government?
The game has gone.
There is literally no point in watching this shitshow anymore because cheating and looking the other way on human rights issues has been okayed by the government.
Turn it off
The game has gone.
There is literally no point in watching this shitshow anymore because cheating and looking the other way on human rights issues has been okayed by the government.
Turn it off
100% - this is why the Super League was the saviour of football; it was the only way to govern these theocratic slimeballs. UEFA, the Premier League, FIFA and the FA are all compromised.
All the clubs with any organic substance should pull together if nothing comes of those charges and create their own league, rendering anything else Abu Dhabi ‘wins’ even more irrelevant.
*looks at camera*
Yes, that's what some of us (only me possibly) have been saying for eons, that ownership of a club is miniscule compared to the influence these autocracies already have in your politics, defense industrial complex, economy, society, real estate...
I don't know why anyone is surprised the Tory government is up to no good. Of course City are getting away with it. The football authorities simply don't have the firepower to take on clubs owned by states. It should never have been allowed in the first place but here we are. Then again all major football teams are morally bankrupt. Look at the gymnastics our board tried to pull to get Greenwood back in the side, it doesn't matter where the money comes from or who gets battered by their spouse as long as the ball goes in the net. Right?
More important is our relationship with a state that treats people like shit and buys our weapons, than the integrity of our biggest sporting export.
The world, unfortunately has zero morals and everything is up for grabs in exchange for cash or access to cash.
Totally normal.
People expect sports to zag while the world/society that encases them zigs.
Ofcourse nothing was ever going to happen to city, you'd have to be extremely naive to think otherwise.
Yes, people still expect government officials to uphold laws and represent desires and attitudes of people who elected them... Alas, governments have stopped doing that a while ago and have instead found ways to brainwash and gaslight majority while selling to the powerful minority
It's arguable who got corrupt earlier - sports or governments
It was being discussed on Talksport yesterday
Hopefully we get some kind of update on this from the Premier League soon as its been nearly 8 months since these were announced and we have heard nothing since then, meanwhile City have been free to continue playing and spending 100s of millions more on new players.
Khaldoon already laughed off the 115 charges as if it's nothing much earlier on. Obviously, he knows something that we don't. He is well connected with influential people in power in the UK. That's the reason City can cheats so blatantly for so many years and nothing happened to them.
I think we all know that City won't face any meaningful punishment.
Basically, they have succeeded in buying themselves a place among the so-called "elite".
Before Pep, there was a slight chance. But he's much too high-profile. There's no chance in hell that any football authority (corrupt as feck, they all are) will do anything to seriously tarnish the reputation of a coach/manager many now consider to be the greatest ever.
Forget it - not gonna happen.
Basically, they have succeeded in buying themselves a place among the so-called "elite".
Before Pep, there was a slight chance. But he's much too high-profile. There's no chance in hell that any football authority (corrupt as feck, they all are) will do anything to seriously tarnish the reputation of a coach/manager many now consider to be the greatest ever.
Forget it - not gonna happen.
I just pray that this delay is the PL making sure their case is water-tight before unleashing hell on the Manchester 115ers.
The PL don't want to unleash hell on City. Nor do UEFA.
Nobody in the corrupt upper echelons of football has anything to gain from doing it.
Nobody in the corrupt upper echelons of football has anything to gain from doing it.
I wish
Maybe the bigwigs in the traditional old school clubs hold some sway. But in reality, yeah, I know they won’t be punished, but it’s a lovely thought them being served their just desserts. And remember, the top Bloos prefer playing the likes of Gillingham away, so it’s a win win for them.
Nothing of any noticeable consequence will ever happen to City.
They can do what they want for ever
They can do what they want for ever
I always write that nothing will be done and that they're now too "big" (play too well) to be touched.
But I was just thinking-
How come Juventus did get heavily penalized back in 2006? You'd also think they were too big for Italian football to be messed with.
Yet they got a rather significant punishment (that their players stayed and got them right back to the top is a credit to them).
What was different in the Italian scene? I don't know anything about it so just asking, maybe someone knows better.
Edit: well, trying to think of an answer myself, I guess that England can't allow for its relationship with UAE to get off the rails.
too much money involved, and too much politics on the line.
Taking Juve to the cleaners probably didn't mean a lot to Italy as a country, on the whole.
so yeah, back to the discussion about how state ownership is a bitch,
and how it's much worse than the most corrupt private owners imaginable.
It's just a different scale of power handed to certain teams.
But I was just thinking-
How come Juventus did get heavily penalized back in 2006? You'd also think they were too big for Italian football to be messed with.
Yet they got a rather significant punishment (that their players stayed and got them right back to the top is a credit to them).
What was different in the Italian scene? I don't know anything about it so just asking, maybe someone knows better.
Edit: well, trying to think of an answer myself, I guess that England can't allow for its relationship with UAE to get off the rails.
too much money involved, and too much politics on the line.
Taking Juve to the cleaners probably didn't mean a lot to Italy as a country, on the whole.
so yeah, back to the discussion about how state ownership is a bitch,
and how it's much worse than the most corrupt private owners imaginable.
It's just a different scale of power handed to certain teams.
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That was match fixing I think wasn't it?
Looking back that completely ruined Italian football, just won the world cup as well.
Looking back that completely ruined Italian football, just won the world cup as well.