Yup, but it is always going to be difficult to prove it unless the PL, FA and the IFR voluntarily reports of government coercion.That might force FIFA to act.
It a court of law you definitely can. In fact, I recently persuaded a judge to sanction opposing for pursuing a legal argument that had been decisively and repeatedly rejected in other cases. It is not a tactic I deploy with any regularity, but the obstinance from opposing counsel compelled me to do so here.
The issue for City on appeal is that theyāll have to demonstrate that there was an error of law, fact, or procedure. And they will have to have raised those arguments in the first instance before the panel which ruled against them.
With the ferocity of this legal process, where City fought every single issue for years, and with the panel undoubtedly recognizing that a guilty verdict would send shockwaves and set off likely appeals, I would suspect that the panel made sure to make their ruling quite airtight from a legal and procedural perspective. And appeal panels are unlikely to want to wade into the evidentiary issues unless they are obvious, because they will recognize that the initial panel sifted through millions of documents and dozens of witnesses and years of ferocious evidentiary disputes to reach their conclusions.
So it will be very hard for City to win any appeal here.
Their best hope is that the Premier League decides they donāt want to keep fighting this for years and that they reach some sort of settlement. But with the way City have comported themselves through this process, I donāt think there is an appetite for compromise. At least I wouldnāt want to if I was representing the Premier League.
1 Like
https://x.com/GBPolitcs/status/2105958396323410010
I hope Man city loses their appeal in the Appeals Board, loses the appeal in the High Court and loses the right to even have their case heard in the Supreme Court.
and Oh, I hope this lights a bonfire up the arses of the PL, FA, the IFR, the HMRC and the Greater Manchester Police to throw the whole damn book and some at these arrogant bastards.
Sorry for putting this in the non-political thread!
3 Likes
Well you could have a cosplaying fascist in Nigel Farage or someone who actually hacked political opponents in Kemi Badenoch. Also Rayner was cleared by the HMRC as for second jobs some speeches and a book tour isnāt the same as sitting on the board of a company or taking 76m from Crytocurrency dealers in exchange for a light touch policy on Crytocurrency.
Anyhow Meg Hillier on the treasury committee has requested information on HMRC in relation to Man City and Kogan who was a Starmer appointment seems to have shown no desire to play easy ball with them.
2 Likes
Iāve put a posting in the Politics Thread for this:
Itās a bit of a difficult one as the political angle is intertwined with this affair, but I thought it might prevent this thread going off topic.
Just donāt call each other names!
1 Like
To be fair heās only saying what some of us have been saying on here for years. 
3 Likes
I dont mean liberal do I? What word am I looking for? I mean they havent typically needed really overt interference to issue warnings
Haha
Fifa actually donāt tend to do much here unless the interference is tangible.
And they really donāt care much about domestic leagues in comparison to national teams.
2 Likes
15 year sentence for blowing up a ULEZ camera , apparently. so should cities punishment be more or less?
Relaxed approach? Light touch? Iām sure someone will put something on the Susie Dent thread.
Laissez -faire, or equanamious would be my suggestion.
1 Like
what info do we think Rui Pinto is going to release later? something to do with city? or Infantino? or is it going to be a damp squib?
1 Like
ā¦insouciant 
2 Likes
A lawyer? Oh you hid this dirty secret about yourself for a long time.
11 Likes
Iām hoping that there is something related to PGMOL!
1 Like
Maybe heās got something else coming, but otherwise it appears to be a statement that he has gone back to the Portuguese authorities for additional protection over concerns for his safety. Because you know, these owners are a totally normal group
5 Likes
The cat with the cream 
He is right though.
1 Like
Also donāt want this to veer too much into politics but there is an undeniable politcal bent to a decent chunk of this story.
Feel for the mods having shut the politcs thread during an intl. break only for this story come out and no distractions in the form actual Liverpool football, especially given weāre their first opponents after the break. 
Gonna be a tightrope for discussion to keep it strictly football/city relevant even when discussing the political side of the story.
@ZinedineBiscan watching all the Burnham stuff being released a day after deciding to close the politics thread:
4 Likes
Thatāll surely come out when they move onto the next batch of years. PGMOL self investigating Michael Oliver being paid 20k to ref a game in Abu Dhabi before he comes back to shaft us, and finding no foul play. Laughably corrupt at the time. Moreso now. The ādouble contractsā and other payments from Abu Dhabi to City staff have been called out in this investigation, i.e. Mancini, so Iāve no doubt that when they move beyond 2018 theyāll find (its already out in the open) the dirt on PGMOL and its employees being paid by UAE and in particular Abu Dhabi.
5 Likes
Some referees goin darn here. Lovely jubly.