nah…
one of the protestors was a passerby who got paid to join the demo…
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PSG are an interesting contrast. City seem to have cast themselves as the antagonists to the establishment where as PSG decided the better path was to become the establishment and got their house in order. For all their heavy early spending and the absurdity of the Neymar deal and then the Mbappe deal, they really seem to have pivoted now to something much more normal. I don’t know if that was always part of a conscious strategy and they are now in a place to spend more normally. Maybe a reaction to reading the tea leaves for City’s behavior, or even a reaction to most of their more expensive signings being headaches. You maybe cannot give them too much credit for how much the Qatari money proped them up (like a rich kid claiming they are self made because they have a job), but they are definitely operating differently than they used to.
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Yeah….now. I mean the difference between them is that they realised that top-of-the-range up-and-comers is their focus. Even big clubs will think twice about paying the prices and wages they did to secure the core of their current team. Because there isn’t that certainty they will work. But as you said, they were prescient about what would happen if they continued throwing transfer fee shaped grenades in the market.
Helps having an owner with fingers in so many pies too.
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Now he’s lost my vote 
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That was a wild, if brief, ride.
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https://x.com/RuiPinto_FL/status/2105368117392113871
During the FFP proceedings, Infantino met with club bosses from Paris and Manchester on several occasions for secret talks, even supplying them with confidential materials. He proposed compromises that he was unauthorized to propose. In short: He betrayed his own organization."
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To be fair, we should probably take this seriously.
It’s one thing for city to complain about the biased process. But when a second entity makes the same complaint completely independent of Manchester city, then that surely carries a bit more weight..
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Is this the Farage school of considering legal action where it acts as a warning that never happens?
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I’m not sure that follows, in the case of Etihad and Man City, are they not separated by. Chinese wall? It could easily be synchronised. But in the least, I doubt it will go anywhere, its mere puff, Etihad have no cause of action at the PL. Which is why they made their feelings public, but concluded, we are off to get some advice. They have already had the advice there is little they can do, I find this all part of the scheme, still trundling on.
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Regarding their current players, if they have any morals or self worth how can they give their all for a club that is morally irredeeable?
If they had anything about them, any self respect they should be asking serious questions and looking for ways out.
Regarding the rest and what happens to the cheats, I feel the book needs throwing at them and the owners should be thrown out of the club, because they aren’t ‘fit and proper’ by their actions.
The more they drag it out the greater their punishment.
I would have thought Etihad Airways would be more pissed at Man City for dragging its name through the mud…
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Probably escaped them this kind of reaction is vindicating any accusation of collusion between City and Etihad.
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What punishment should look like imo:
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80 points deduction to make sure they get relegated.
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50 points deduction for next season to make promotion impossible.
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all titles won during those 9 years should be voided. (not sure if I want them handed to others)
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transfer ban until January 2029 - to make promotion in the 28/29 season further difficult.
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they illegally pumped £1b into the club. Think that should be their fine.
That money should be spread between all the clubs who played in the PL during those 9 years.
We’re talking around 25 Clubs - so around £40m each. I know it’s not a lot and not fair for those who suffered the most.
Clubs should agree not to take further legal action. It’s important to move on as soon as possible. -
Authorities (HMRC) will take care of what’s left of them.
I’m sure if the PL does their part it won’t be long until the Sheik decides to sell.
So what do you guys think about my ideas? Is it realistic? Am I too soft?
We have a saying here: one crow doesn’t peck out another crow’s eye.
