Josko Gvardiol: "My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool. Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad", tells @RTLDanas. ๐ด๐ญ๐ท #LFC
"We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart".
Can we take a moment and appreciate the likes of David Ornstein who was brave enough to break the biggest story in the history of the Premier League. The integrity, bravery and professionalism is the pinnacle of this industry.
Rep on the line.
Thank you @David_Ornstein. Wow.
Graeme Souness on the Manchester City charges:
โThe legacy is gone. If it goes the wrong way for them, theyโll be consigned to history as cheats, and whatever they did, whatever they won in that period, should not count.
โThereโs an argument for Liverpool to have a couple of Premier Leagues given to them. For City to be stripped of whatever theyโve won in that period of timeโฆ moneyโs not an issue for them, so whatever fine they get is just a scratch on the surface. Relegation [as an option]โฆ I donโt know.
โBut I come back to it. I think this is going to open a can of worms, which I think may go well beyond the realms of football.โ
[@wearetrackradio] #LFC
๐ IโM SEEING MAN CITY FANS SAYING: โWE WON THESE TROPHIES WITH 11 PLAYERS ON THE PITCH. NOBODY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US.โ
Thatโs not the point.
You won with players, squads and managers you would have never been able to assemble under the financial rules you were accused of breaking.
Think of it like a race where everyone brings their own car.
Everyone shows up in a Honda.
Then you rob a bank, use the money to buy a Ferrari and absolutely blow past everyone.
When you get caught, you turn around and say:
โBut I was faster than everyone! I want to keep my trophy.โ
Nobody is arguing that you werenโt fast.
The question is whether you would have been driving that Ferrari in the first place without the alleged financial wrongdoing.
Thatโs the point.
It really isnโt complicated. ๐
So yes, they won those matches on the pitch.
But the rules were broken to build the team that got them there, the argument doesnโt simply disappear because there were 11 players on the pitch.
You donโt get to ignore the rules for years and then act shocked when the invoice arrives. ๐ฐ๐
For those thinking Man City will get a lenient punishment like Chelsea did, that simply wonโt be the case.
The PL convinced an IC Panel that Chelsea (a) did not gain any Sporting Advantage, (b) they were no longer owned/run by the perpetrators, and (c) they were very compliant (even self-reporting).
Man Cityโs case is the opposite of those 3 factors.
1) They gained a monstrous sporting advantage. Hundreds upon hundreds of millions over PSR limits.
2) They are still owned / run by the people that did it.
3) They have gone to extreme lengths to avoid justice. They hid it all (only an email hack caught them - the rules could not).
They refused to comply with the investigation.
They committed perjury at CAS.
Iโll do a fuller post later tonight but the reality is the punishments will be as serious as they come.
My pinned post says it all.
โLooking back on this era, although they've won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs, financially. How both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we've done it, probably means more to our fansโ #LFC
54 of the 115 charges were related to inaccurate financial information and false accounting. People really dont deep what this means from a business perspective.
Apparently, some English clubs have sought legal advice on whether they may have a claim for compensation, and they have every right to do so. The integrity of the competitions in which Manchester City participated has been seriously compromised ever since these financial schemes began. We are not talking about something isolated or insignificant, but about fraud on a massive, even colossal, scale that went on for several years.
Football Leaks claim that a Manchester City executive sent an email following the death of an FFP investigator as follows: "One has fallen, there are six to go." https://t.co/3H6pQJljBo