Oil Money in Football | New City expose

golden_blunder

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Nothing will happen. NOTHING. Media can dig all they want. The world we live in now uncovers scandals about presidents, about brexit about football corruption but nothing happens because guess what, MONEY ALWAYS WINS
 

Hansa

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Journalists are afraid to speak on it too. There will be little investigation into this.
Eh? Today's new revelations is brought about through the multinational European Investigative Collaborations, spearheaded by heavyweights like Der Spiegel and El Mundo.
 

CA1

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Like I said, I dont care. That's just a justification that I find unconvincing. A healthy sport has more than a couple teams capable of winning.
If you want more than a couple of clubs capable of winning, you'd be against Oil Money.
 

WensleyMU

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So, twenty two twenty two Man Utd?

If proven what's likely to happen? I know what should happen and honestly, I have expected this day for a very long time.
 

padr81

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To be fair, nothing will come of any of this. If only ‘Football Leaks’ are leading this fight, then they are painted as vigilante conspiracy theorists, whether right or not. I can’t see the people who matter touching this, as there will be fingerprints of a lot of friends all o er it.
I think its spread a bit already, Der Spiegel is no small fry. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. If it plays out as us being guilty, I will not acknowledge a single trophy we've won since 2008. Having a sugar daddy is fine, in fact I encourage every club to do it, but breaking the rules is not. It will make me look at City the way I look at Lance Armstrong.

But for now I'll stick with the innocent till proven guilty :wenger:
 

Rado_N

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Because the onus is on the prosecution no? Innocent until proven guilty. For what its worth, they were deemed fair by the powers that be so why would I doubt it? Why would I doubt it even now. If we are proven guilty then as I said the punishment should be very severe, if we're proven innocent then we should take the reporters to the cleaners. Football leaks is also a very dubious website (though they do have access to accurate info usually).

Either way I'm looking forward to how this plays out, its gonna be one hell of a shitstorm
Because it's been blatantly obvious from the word go.

Nobody with any sense whatsoever could say with a straight face that the sponsorship deals coming from all those parties connected to the ownership reflected genuine value to those companies. Without being bribed, of course.
 

WensleyMU

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City have responded according to Simon Stone and have not denied it, instead refusing to comment on information stolen from their employees...
 

Mb194dc

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Financial "fair play" was a terrible idea in the first place. It's just designed to entrench the current top teams. So easy to circumvent, overly complicated and unfair in nearly every way.

If you want real fair play introduce a team salary cap / transfer spend limit.
 

padr81

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Because it's been blatantly obvious from the word go.

Nobody with any sense whatsoever could say with a straight face that the sponsorship deals coming from all those parties connected to the ownership reflected genuine value to those companies. Without being bribed, of course.
Its actually not which is why we've passed FFP every year since they moved the goal posts, Infantino doesn't do the books for what its worth, in fact said article says he has no power over it.

Anyway I'm going to enjoy this drama, apparently, multiple CL winner who failed doping test is going to be announced by them (hints at Messi or Ronaldo) and top premier league clubs who do illegal tax stuff. Looks like football is about to get a rude awakening and I'll deal with what happens to City as it happens.
 

Casanova85

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I only know I actively hate Man City and PSG.

By comparison, I just don't like Liverpool, the same way a frenchman doesn't truly like a brit (I'm not french), and viceversa, but the last war ended in 1815.

I just hope they make an example out of Qatarchester City and PSG. Sadly, corruption is rampant, and top managers/players betray any principles for huge (corrupt) money, like Lord Pepus.
 
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Rado_N

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Its actually not which is why we've passed FFP every year since they moved the goal posts, Infantino doesn't do the books for what its worth, in fact said article says he has no power over it.

Anyway I'm going to enjoy this drama, apparently, multiple CL winner who failed doping test is going to be announced by them (hints at Messi or Ronaldo) and top Premier League clubs who do illegal tax stuff. Looks like football is about to get a rude awakening and I'll deal with what happens to City as it happens.
You've "passed" FFP because it's a joke.

As for the other stuff, I'd be amazed if all PL clubs aren't up to dodgy shit financially and if doping isn't rife.
 

antihenry

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Its actually not which is why we've passed FFP every year since they moved the goal posts, Infantino doesn't do the books for what its worth, in fact said article says he has no power over it.

Anyway I'm going to enjoy this drama, apparently, multiple CL winner who failed doping test is going to be announced by them (hints at Messi or Ronaldo) and top Premier League clubs who do illegal tax stuff. Looks like football is about to get a rude awakening and I'll deal with what happens to City as it happens.
Have you actually read the article?

In January 2014, UEFA monitors sent auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to Manchester. The result was a disaster. Fully 84 percent of "other commercial income" originated from sponsors from Abu Dhabi.:lol: According to the report, the club had hidden 35 million euros in costs from UEFA in its annual statement of accounts.

Manchester City reacted reflexively to the pressure with pressure of its own. The club put its lawyers on war footing, and almost all of its responses to UEFA reflected that aggression. "The PwC Report is seriously flawed in that it contains numerous erroneous interpretations of the Regulations, false assumptions of fact, errors of law and erroneous conclusions," read the reply. The lawyers demanded that the PwC auditors revise or delete large sections of their report. PwC refused, which further enraged the Manchester City attorneys.

In mid-March, Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano carried out negotiations with Infantino related to the Financial Fair Play rule and threatened to challenge the Financial Fair Play rules in European Union courts. In an internal memorandum, the club's attorneys noted that if a "sensible settlement" was not reached with the Investigatory Chamber, Manchester City would "have no choice but to fight U (meaning UEFA) on all legal fronts." The club, they suggested, was expecting "a warning, but no further action."

Yet the evidence did not appear to be in Manchester City's favor. The marketing experts from Octagon, who had already issued a disastrous report card on Paris Saint-Germain at the behest of the FFP monitors, found that three of the four sponsoring contracts that Manchester City had signed with companies from Abu Dhabi were "significantly overvalued." They added that the deals, which had brought in 50 million euros in revenues, were up to 80 percent higher than their actual market value. Following an additional visit to Manchester, the PwC auditors determined that two Man City sponsors were "related parties." The same situation as with Paris Saint-Germain.

But by then, Infantino was already in the process of trying to outmaneuver the Investigatory Chamber. Together with CEO Soriano, he set up a meeting in early April between two lawyers, one representing Manchester City, the other UEFA. The two attorneys reached an agreement that the club would make a proposal for an amicable solution. It was a bit like a bank robber proposing an appropriate sentence to the prosecutor.
 

padr81

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You've "passed" FFP because it's a joke.

As for the other stuff, I'd be amazed if all PL clubs aren't up to dodgy shit financially and if doping isn't rife.
FFP is a joke because it was never implemented to do its purpose, its "purpose" was to avoid clubs going out of business which it never in reality gave a single shit about andit was to keep the big clubs at the top.
Bringing it in was a joke, how it changed the goal posts was a joke and how it was enforced was a joke and the punishment City and PSG got were a joke.

If the idea was to keep things fair then it simply should have been salary cap, transfer spend cap and everyone on the same playing field etc.. but the big clubs didn't want that because it wouldn't allow say Bayern to financially bully Dortmund etc...
 

padr81

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Have you actually read the article?

In January 2014, UEFA monitors sent auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to Manchester. The result was a disaster. Fully 84 percent of "other commercial income" originated from sponsors from Abu Dhabi.:lol: According to the report, the club had hidden 35 million euros in costs from UEFA in its annual statement of accounts.

Manchester City reacted reflexively to the pressure with pressure of its own. The club put its lawyers on war footing, and almost all of its responses to UEFA reflected that aggression. "The PwC Report is seriously flawed in that it contains numerous erroneous interpretations of the Regulations, false assumptions of fact, errors of law and erroneous conclusions," read the reply. The lawyers demanded that the PwC auditors revise or delete large sections of their report. PwC refused, which further enraged the Manchester City attorneys.

In mid-March, Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano carried out negotiations with Infantino related to the Financial Fair Play rule and threatened to challenge the Financial Fair Play rules in European Union courts. In an internal memorandum, the club's attorneys noted that if a "sensible settlement" was not reached with the Investigatory Chamber, Manchester City would "have no choice but to fight U (meaning UEFA) on all legal fronts." The club, they suggested, was expecting "a warning, but no further action."

Yet the evidence did not appear to be in Manchester City's favor. The marketing experts from Octagon, who had already issued a disastrous report card on Paris Saint-Germain at the behest of the FFP monitors, found that three of the four sponsoring contracts that Manchester City had signed with companies from Abu Dhabi were "significantly overvalued." They added that the deals, which had brought in 50 million euros in revenues, were up to 80 percent higher than their actual market value. Following an additional visit to Manchester, the PwC auditors determined that two Man City sponsors were "related parties." The same situation as with Paris Saint-Germain.

But by then, Infantino was already in the process of trying to outmaneuver the Investigatory Chamber. Together with CEO Soriano, he set up a meeting in early April between two lawyers, one representing Manchester City, the other UEFA. The two attorneys reached an agreement that the club would make a proposal for an amicable solution. It was a bit like a bank robber proposing an appropriate sentence to the prosecutor.
I believe that was the year we were punished for failing FFP... so it was dealt with.

You might actually bold the entire quote and take it in context, I literally said " which is why we've passed FFP every year since they moved the goal posts" which is exactly why we failed in 2014 in the first place. We were punished for 2014.
 

antihenry

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I believe that was the year we were punished for failing FFP... so it was dealt with.

You might actually bold the entire quote and take it in context, I literally said " which is why we've passed FFP every year since they moved the goal posts" which is exactly why we failed in 2014 in the first place. We were punished for 2014.
Did you miss that bit?

"In the years following the settlements, PSG and Manchester City together spent more than a billion euros on new players."

Also, the punishment was a joke, just a slap on a wrist for appearances' sake. UEFA basically allowed PSG and City to get away with murder. By the way, weren't you the one who kept raving on another thread about how it was due to Soriano's genius that City have done so well so fast? That story in Spiegel doesn't necessarily portray him in a very favourable light. More like a bully on the sheik's payroll exerting pressure on the governing body so that they'd turn the blind eye to your club's fake sponsorships.
 
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Treble

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How did Sarkozy help City?
 
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RD76

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If I knew something would happen to those scumbags, then I'd be happy about this. But it will all be covered over and forgotten about because United play tomorrow and it will all be about that.

It absolutely stinks.
 

padr81

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Did you miss that bit in the article?

"In the years following the settlements, PSG and Manchester City together spent more than a billion euros on new players."

Also, the punishment was a joke, just a slap on a wrist for appearances' sake. UEFA basically allowed PSG and City to get away with murder. By the way, weren't you the one who kept raving on another thread about how it was due to Soriano's genius that City have done so well so fast? That story in Spiegel doesn't necessarily portray him in a very favourable light. More like a bully on the sheik's payroll exerting pressure on the governing body so that they'd turn the blind eye to your club's fake sponsorships.
Spent a billion euro's combined none of which broke FFP rules... No I didn't miss it, it was irrelevant because it didn't breach FFP...

I have no doubt Soriano is a grade A asshole like Cook before him, just like Roman, Bruce Buck, Daniel Levy and Woodward plus every other cnut who makes his way to the top by stepping on little people, not a doubt in the world. It doesn't make him bad at his job. Just like I have no issue saying our owners are not nice people in the least.

Again you say fake sponsorships but with zero proof.
 

Fluctuation0161

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Spent a billion euro's combined none of which broke FFP rules... No I didn't miss it, it was irrelevant because it didn't breach FFP...

I have no doubt Soriano is a grade A asshole like Cook before him, just like Roman, Bruce Buck, Daniel Levy and Woodward plus every other cnut who makes his way to the top by stepping on little people, not a doubt in the world. It doesn't make him bad at his job. Just like I have no issue saying our owners are not nice people in the least.

Again you say fake sponsorships but with zero proof.
You need to take your head out of the sand.
 

padr81

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Fingers crossed.

On a serious note though, will this issue be investigated further. The UK media coverage is limited currently.
It should be, and thats coming from a City fan, as I said earlier, we're innocent till proven guilty (except to other football fans) but it certainly needs to be looked into by the authorities, if not least so if its all bull we can sue the shit out of whomever.
 

AP88

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I imagine the genuine threat of a European Super League was an ultimatum from the organic superclubs - that UEFA either stops the Arab vanity projects from destroying the sport with their vulgarity, or lose the prestige of having the genuine elite participating in their lucrative competitions. This selectively-timed leak could be used as a catalyst to finally act.

To put it into context, Real Madrid’s starting 11 that won the Champions League last season cost circa £250m; the amount spent by City on defenders and goalkeepers since 2016 easily eclipses that, so any dubious ‘success’ is ultimately an inevitability rather than an achievement.
 

MuFc_1992

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I think its spread a bit already, Der Spiegel is no small fry. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. If it plays out as us being guilty, I will not acknowledge a single trophy we've won since 2008. Having a sugar daddy is fine, in fact I encourage every club to do it, but breaking the rules is not. It will make me look at City the way I look at Lance Armstrong.

But for now I'll stick with the innocent till proven guilty :wenger:
How does it change anything for you? FFP was a rule brought in to stop your owners from spending and it was brought in after the takeover to stop you from whatever you were already doing. Most City fans I know think FFP shouldn't exist in the first place.
 

padr81

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I imagine the genuine threat of a European Super League was an ultimatum from the organic superclubs - that UEFA either stops the Arab vanity projects from destroying the sport with their vulgarity, or lose the prestige of having the genuine elite participating in their lucrative competitions. This selectively-timed leak could be used as a catalyst to finally act.

To put it into context, Real Madrid’s starting 11 that won the Champions League last season cost circa £250m; the amount spent by City on defenders and goalkeepers since 2016 easily eclipses that, so any dubious ‘success’ is ultimately an inevitability, than an achievement.
Wow so you're telling me Real Madrid's CL winning starting XI was about £166m cheaper than the team fielded by the current 8th best team in premier league fielded vs Juve.
I think you'll also find City were part of the group in the super league talks.. interesting way to stop Arab vanity projects.
 

MuFc_1992

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Financial "fair play" was a terrible idea in the first place. It's just designed to entrench the current top teams. So easy to circumvent, overly complicated and unfair in nearly every way.

If you want real fair play introduce a team salary cap / transfer spend limit.
Wouldn't that just result on owners like Glazers taking all the money out as dividends.