Saint86

5 of the charges directly relate to breaching UEFA's FFP rules. 54 then relate to "Failing to provide a true and fair view of club revenue, sponsorship, and operating costs" - which may include (you would imagine it does include) the UEFA FFP rule breaking. 14 offences relating to, "Failing to fully disclose accurate remuneration details in contracts", which must also surely tie in with breaching UEFA FFP rules - as they're essentially accused of lying about their staff/player wage costs. The remaining offences are exclusive to the EPL - 7PSR breaches, and 35charges relating to not cooperating with the EPL investigation.

Throughout this period, the rules allowed rich owners to invest their money into a club to boost their competitiveness - upto agreed upon limits. Man city have done that, and then smashed through it with flagrant cheating and a litany of dodgy deals and sham (a legal term) sponsorship contracts - In so doing, they have essentially stolen the money invested in, and the efforts of, all other clubs they have competed against. Let alone poaching players, staff, and academy products etc. Leicester were an example of owners investing up to the allowed limits - and actually its evident that Man City directly stole multiple seasons of champions league qualification from them during this period - and now look at the state of Liecester, a club that could very likely cease to exist in the next few years, thanks in part to City's cheating. It is hard to fathom how anyone can justify the scale of damage that City have done to the football pyramid. Why on earth anyone thinks its remotely reasonable for sovereign wealth funds etc., to be able to use their wealth to utterly out-compete with owners like Gao etc (and just eradicate any merit of sporting or business competence with oil money) i don't know... but how anyone can then go one stage further and excuse cheating those rules (and on this scale) is mind boggling. If that is what you are meaning to say, then honestly, i would say to think about it again and potentially reconsider the impacts this has had on a significant number of clubs within the 92.

We weren't powerless to prevent them leaving, we opted to allow them to leave rather than pay them their worth. That's a choice the club actively made. And as has been stated to death, Ballard should have been retained and thats abundantly obvious. He should certainly have been given game time over the multi million pound flops we've singed in the interim, or worst case he should have been given a new contract and allowed further loan development time.

Three immediately prominent answers are Gomes (we got £170K for a potential generational talent on that one), Ballard, and JJM. The last 2 would be playing for us this season 😄.

They've been found guilty by the independent panel. They have 14days now to appeal. If unsuccessful they must then accept the punishment or take it to the high court. At the high court - they would seemingly now be reliant on the same witnesses they used in the premier League defence... The same witnesses the premier league has directly accused of lying. Will those witnesses take that to the high court and risk being found guilty of fraud? I would say they are in serious/existential trouble. At what point does a new club starting a the bottom becomes preferable? Also, if they remain in existence, I would imagine every club that is able will bring a legal case against them. Any form of long term transfer ban will ruin them. And their players will presumably be able to sue them or tear up their contracts, including the academy side. And then SCR rules in the EFL (which is where they are heading) will hamstring them in the face of fines and legal cases.

We won't be playing Man City for a very long time (if indeed ever) after this... £900M and criminal fraud alleged. Thats the end of them, swindon will look like a slap on the wrist.

Really should have had more than 3000 for this... Maximum away allocation (without spacial segregation measures) is about 6000 there. Its relatively easy to get to, and a big game - at least another 1000 should have been taken i feel.

Hopefully not another one that we let go and end up regretting... sadly been a pattern under SR.

What may weight against us here, is that there is likely at least a year still to run on the man city case. Hopefully the Tonda case is resolved this side of Christmas... the longer it goes on i can also see a scenario where they ban him for the playoffs... even seeing it as a poetic justice.

I think the Man City leak is a serious fly in the ointment for the football authorities. Go any harder on an already draconian sanction for Southampton, and they'll leave themselves previous little wiggle room for Man City... And people like Mancini (as just one example) who this week have said that any illegal payments made to him are "man city's problem" will likely need to face significant long term bans from football if Eckert gets a ban for a couple of spying incidents.

The whole thing is embarrassing by Bazunu.

2026 has made it very obvious that he is just a journo for hire these days - no integrity and will just come out with whatever side pays him the most wants.

I am surprised Azaz didn't play, good news for us though i guess.

Reading some of those comments, that could be it for his Ireland career... Tolerant bunch aren't they.

The scale of city's breach puts spygate in perspective... Sadly too late for us to be given a reasonable sanction.