SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

The news broke on Monday about a couple of charges being laid against Manchester City,this time not by UEFA who are subject to their own rules,but by the EPL/FA. If you remember,UEFA hammered them,but Man City took them through the Court of Administration for Sport. 

City had a watertight defence against the most serious charges,the main one being the one that counted. That they were time-barred by UEFA’s own rules,and therefore the CAS had no right to even hold the case in the first place. 

Perfectly true,of course. That’s what them Philadelphia lawyers are for,after all.

So after fifteen years of the club running rings around the articles of faith disguised as Financial Fair Play Regulation,and nobody being able to lay a glove on them,FA/EPL realised that…

“Something must be done!”

Imagine the conversations at that level. We need to stop this but how? Erm,none of our members are allowed to appeal to the CAS. Well,starter for ten then. What do we look into? Everything from when the Gulf State took over. Not time-barred? Nope,we’ve got our rules and they have theirs 

“Magic,throw the book at them,hit them with everything,get enough to stick. Then we can do them.”

The problem is,when you throw over 100 charges at a club,there isn’t really much chance of them being found not guilty on aall of them. Some will stick. Even minor technicalities,if necessary. And the penalties for each are clearly laid out. And if you decide to take on the biggest club in the country-(caveat,by income and not tradition)-you better know what you are doing. 

We can all draw comparisons as Celtic supporters to the subterfuge and downright lies of the Murray years,the likes of Goram pleading to a court that his fine should be judged on his (documented) £1000 pw. Or Ibrox being valued on the books at £120m. Etc,etc,etc. But I don’t think the case down here is comparable. 

Rangers got done by HMRC. NONE,I’ll repeat that,NONE of their other creditors ever felt confident enough to take them to court,ask for a winding up order as is their right. Probably valued their windows more than the fifty quid bill. And when HMRC turned upon their doorstep,you’ll remember how much coverage it got in SMSM. If you don’t,it was a lot less than the hearse and coffin being delivered to Kerrydale Street.

But that’s by the by,it certainly is not about them. Protected by the 5WA,Sky and the SMSM. Who have barely mentioned post-liquidation apart from promoting going for 55 
Oops what if someone draws comparisons here?

Going For The One is an excellent Yes album from the mid-70s. Just saying. 

Down south,the sports pages are full of it. It’s the main topic of discussion in the pubs. It’s everywhere. 

“Do you reckon they can do Man City?”

“I think they have every intention.”

“Lose titles?”

“Over 100 charges,they want something to stick.”

The establishment club in Italy,Juventus,were relegated when they won the league fifteen years ago. Titles stripped. The Italian Federation knew they were up to no good,but had difficulties proving it. Not surprisingly,it was to do with referees. 

Unlike here,they weren’t members of certain little social clubs-though they certainly exist there,after all it was the only trade where a man was “free” to practice his trade after he had qualified. Licensed by The Pope to build the churches and cathedrals that we admire today. Not that much of a secret society that they didn’t eventually know how to use a burner phone sending text messages. 

Barcelona are getting hammered by the local version of FFP,even to the extent of not being allowed to extend the contracts of players who have been with them for years. And I’m not just talking about Messi,with his alleged £200m a year contract,I mean a kid on £20k being bumped up to double that. 

Look at Spurs,over a billion to build an admittedly wonderful stadium. I must go there,the last time was about 1993. I tried the year before,but my sister took my ticket and the day did not end well due to being poisoned by Marksman lager. 

Or Arsenal,who wrote off their ambitions while looking at the big picture. And a big stadium for the future 

Or Chelsea…

And this is where I think the FA/EPL might struggle,where Man City might find that defence that holes the lot below the waterline. Having read through the legal stuff presented to the press,having read through their own interpretation of it,I think the biggest charge-in purely football regulation terms-is how Mancini was paid while he was manager. 

If you’re a Sovereign Oil State,money is no object. If you decide on the best manager that money can buy,go get him. But…

If he wants more than the rules say,how do you deal with that? Simple,a wee handshake,here’s the deal,fuxake we’re an oil state. No need for side letters,etc.

Chelsea,though? When Abramovich bought them twenty years ago,he was basically getting out of dodge. And he genuinely loved his time there. It kept him alive,high profile and difficult even for Putin to get near. Cost him over £2bn all told right enough,but if I had that money and an extra quid,I would have happily done the same. 

Early days,he would go into the dressing room to congratulate the players-via a translator-and they would all cheer him. Followed by Makalele,Drogba and Terry shouting

Great win,more bonuses!!!

Do you see where I’m coming from here? I’m not an expert on anything,but if the rules haven’t changed and no sanctions were applied earlier,the FA/EPL might struggle to make that stick. An owner chucking the occasional tenner to a camel-coated manager at a motorway service station might have been accepted practice in the 70s. Strictly off the books,just like the Chelsea players with their extra bonuses. 

Nobody thought they were breaking any rule,they were just taking advantage of a rich and starstruck man. 

There has never been accepted practice about extra-curricular bonuses. As far as I know. Get a joiner round to your house,bung him a few quid  for a job well done after the fully documented receipt,he did well-is the liability for tax and other liabilities any of your concern? Is any tip or gratuity your problem?

Prove it. I know it and you know it. Tell me what your case is built on,I’ll just turn round and say-precedents have been found not in breach,every single one. A hundred or a thousand,doesn’t matter. Not if we win every one. 

Which they will.

The FA/EPL are all in on this. All of European football is backing them. But they haven’t got a hope in hell of delivering much more than a slap on the wrists.

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Above article by BMCUWP