Man City will claim sponsorship cash was paid by government — not owners. This, sources say, will be the basis of their appeal, even though the evidence has already been rejected by the commission. A new panel will, of course, be appointed for appeal.
https://t.co/b2o4LqXkri
Finished reading the 40-page verdict (took me two days), along with Etihad Airways’ statement.
The strongest line in Etihad’s statement is that the Premier League never contacted them or gave them a chance to put their side across.
That ties straight into the commission’s own admissions: witnesses who could have given evidence weren’t called (p.6, para 24), and some third-party documents had no witness willing or able to explain them (p.7, para 26).
It also strengthens the appeal on the “sham” point. A sham normally requires both parties to intend to mislead. If the sponsor was never heard, City will rightly ask how the panel established the sponsor's intent at all (p.30, para 110).
And the statement shows the scale of reputational fallout for a party the decision doesn't even name.
That piles more pressure on the Premier League over how it chose to publicise these findings.
Andy Burnham has said he would be “really concerned” to lose Manchester City’s owners as a result of the club being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League rules | ✍️
@martynziegler, @Lawton_Times, @_pauljoyce https://t.co/qqSpCM1Z0Q
Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City. That man now runs FIFA. The infamous Gianni Infantino, then UEFA General Secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the Investigatory Chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG would merely receive a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have led to a Champions League ban. All of these details were also revealed through Football Leaks.
Given his actions as UEFA General Secretary and, more recently, as FIFA President, I can only say, in my humble opinion, that Gianni Infantino has become a cancer on football and should have no place in the future of the game.
I never once agreed to there being a 70mph speed limit on the M57, it was forced on me from the beginning.
As such, I’m going to drive at 120mph on my way home from work later.
🔴⚪️ Mikel Arteta replies to complaints over ‘dark arts tactics’.
“No comment. I’ve been there for four years [at Man City], I have all the information. Believe me…”.
@SkySportsPL 🎥
1 - Andrea Medina scored a goal, created four chances, won eight duels and had 11 touches in the opposition box in yesterday's win over West Ham.
She is the first @ManUtdWomen player in WSL history to produce all of those numbers in one match.
Unique.
@Georgeaelcy@__scottsaunders This.
If there's a law that prevents parties from doing what the Glazers did, then surely the Glazers should be made to correct that issue ( paying the debt or force sale).