Platini: No Ban For Failing FFP This Time Around

[Renato_CTID]

We're paying now for the terrible mistakes of both Hughes and Cook! Jim Cassell, where are you now? Accademy was desertificated by those two twats!

[Socrates]

I think that is a reasonable outcome. The payable fine/income loss is much more proportionate to the size of the amount we missed the target by (ie the image rights sales amounts rather than image rights plus pre 2010 contracts). Getting the remaining amount suspended is a big deal and squad sanctions are just for one year.

The work the club has done on this shouldn't be underestmated. Well done to the chairman and his team.

[Moonchesteri]

Martin Samuel on Wenger. Quality. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/articl ... razil.html And while we're at it Considering he thinks it is right for Manchester City to be expelled from the Champions League, sometimes it is amusing to consider what Arsene Wenger feels is fair in football. Rewarding failure, for instance. Very fair. Arsenal, his club, have not been anywhere near the Premier League trophy for 10 years now, yet are consistently seeded in Pot 1 of the Champions League draw, and have been since 2000-01. UEFA’s co-efficient system, which takes historical form into account and therefore protects the biggest and richest clubs from one ordinary season — or in Arsenal’s case, nine — will come to Wenger’s rescue again this summer. Despite having to go through another qualification play-off, providing Arsenal progress, Wenger already knows his team are among the highest seeds for 2014-15, no matter the fourth-place finish. Manchester City, the actual champions in two of the previous three seasons, will be in Pot 2, if lucky. Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga in 2011-12 and were placed in Pot 4. ‘Nobody has ever won the Champions League from Pot 4,’ explained Dortmund chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke. Still no word from Wenger on this, so it’s probably fair. Sky-high ticket prices; also fair. This season Arsenal had the highest priced season ticket in the league (£1,955) and the top priced cheapest season ticket, too, at £985. As Arsenal play Hull City on Saturday looking for their first trophy since 2005, some might think this poor value for money. Not Wenger. No word condemns Arsenal for squeezing their public, despite the advantage of a 60,000 capacity stadium. ‘The only way we can pay the wages and compete without any external help is through the ticket prices,’ he said in January 2013. ‘It is our main income so, of course, the prices are high. It is down to every individual to decide. If you want to go to a concert tomorrow, you look at the price of a ticket and if it is too high, you say yes or no.’ This is the upmarket version of like it or lump it, really. Super fair. Manchester City, meanwhile, on the back of two titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup in the last four seasons, have the cheapest prices in the Premier League, and are even the right side of three clubs in the Conference. Wealth distribution: another area of fairness that does not set Wenger’s antennae twitching. In 2012-13, for getting eliminated at the Champions League knockout stage by the first good team they played, Arsenal pocketed £26.1million and Manchester United £29.6m. UEFA also pass a solidarity payment to the Premier League to distribute among the other 16 clubs. Last year it was £1.3m split 16 ways — or £81,250 each. Sounds fair. Certainly, there is no complaint from Wenger. ‘If you say to me tomorrow that the 20 Premier League clubs get £100m each, I’m OK, I’ll take the gamble,’ he said last week, with the air of a man who knows his real odds are £26.1m versus £81,250. The clubs in the Champions League command 79 per cent of the competition revenue, and Michel Platini, the UEFA president, says wealth redistribution is a matter for those clubs. Are Arsenal going to start giving away their fortune to create fairer domestic competitions? Is Wenger lobbying his friend Platini to engineer this great leap forward? Guess again. So, for all his much-vaunted fairness, Wenger’s take on matters that affect his club is about as impartial as Jose Mourinho’s opinion of what makes a good referee. Wenger’s sense of justice is, bottom line, whatever works for him and Arsenal. Fair’s fair.

This should be an article on its own. Well written Martin.

[Beefymcfc]

Looks like we've settled to a position where it will not affect us in the least, no great Sheikh. The money we've been fined will come from the CL pot that we have already earned so won't be seen and our plans are on schedule.

More importantly, UEFA have set a precendence with us that all other clubs will have to follow. This will not affect us whereas it will pull the drawbridge up for those trying later. Although I fucking hate the thought of it, it does at least mean we are in the castle.

I'm just waiting for further sanctions from our own FFP and by the sounds of it, Scudamore might be forced out in favour of a more 'Wilko' persona that will allow the old Sky 4 to push things through.

Anyway, no harm done, the club had it and we carry on as before.

[Camebro]

Has anyone seen the figures for PSG's fine?

[Beefymcfc]

Has anyone seen the figures for PSG's fine?

They're obviously still in negotiations.

NB. It's worth noting that the only reason we failed was due to a difference in opinion on accounting. We thought we were well inside yet the regulations must've been amended to say otherwise.

They will try, won't they ;-)

[mcfc1632]

Well done the CITY management team - this sounds to me like they have driven a very hard position with UeFA and let the cunts get away with an announcement that they can dress up as being 'hard'.

Within that statement it is clear that MCFC will be dictate how our books are assessed in the future - and we have therefore decided to accept the compromise even though that is likely against the owner's instincts.

I think that we are home and clear for the future.

[Sideshow Bob]

I despise that we have to cowtow to these greedy fat fucking CUNTS!!!

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Looks like we've settled to a position where it will not affect us in the least, no great Sheikh. The money we've been fined will come from the CL pot that we have already earned so won't be seen and our plans are on schedule.

More importantly, UEFA have set a precendence with us that all other clubs will have to follow. This will not affect us whereas it will pull the drawbridge up for those trying later. Although I fucking hate the thought of it, it does at least mean we are in the castle.

I'm just waiting for further sanctions from our own FFP and by the sounds of it, Scudamore might be forced out in favour of a more 'Wilko' persona that will allow the old Sky 4 to push things through.

Anyway, no harm done, the club had it and we carry on as before.

As we now have one of the biggest incomes in European football, FFP will benefit us. Even though it is a vile and completely unfair system, we are now within. We might not like it, we might hate the corruption and the playacting of the whole Euro thing, but we really do have to be in it. Hopefully we can do enough with this squad in Europe and then push on. It looks like a slap on the wrist in the end.
Bollocks to Platini and his desperate G14 mates.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

This is also interesting:

- The wage bill of the whole club (playing and non-playing staff) for 2014-15 will need to remain at the same level as that of 2013-14 season. It is important to note that additional bonuses for performances can be paid outside this number. Importantly, in reality, the existing MCFC business plan sees a natural decline in that wage bill.

I read somewhere that when we extended Yaya's contract we reduced his basic wage but offered performance bonuses, so it is probably the way we were going anyway.

[Ted Hughes]

All that BOLLOCKS in the press about the Etihad deal being flagged; clearly it hasn't.

So it's job done. Their extra little panel of David Gill etc, can't touch us now & it will be interesting to see at which level they capped the PSG deal, because if it's way higher than the Etihad one, we know how much undervalued we are.

OAFA's corrupt cruise liner has just negotiated a surrender to a fucking battleship, pointing all it's guns in their direction & still threatening to blow the fuckers out of the water if they fuck with us without fair reason.

I LOVE City's response. For those who haven't read it:

Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at the end of the current financial year (May 31st) it is on course to financially break even, as planned.

Operating with no debt, the Club is realising its football and commercial opportunities whilst continuing unprecedented investments in both youth development and the local community

From the outset, the Club has engaged with UEFA in its introduction of the Financial Fair Play Regulations in good faith and without prejudice and in a transparent and collaborative manner. [highlight]The Club’s position is that it is beholden upon UEFA and the European football establishment to ensure the same[/highlight].

The Club can confirm that it has been in discussions with UEFA over the last month - in relation to the application of Financial Fair Play regulations - as has been widely reported and communicated by UEFA. At the heart of those discussions is a fundamental disagreement between the Club’s and UEFA’s respective interpretations of the FFP regulations on players purchased before 2010. [highlight]The Club believes it has complied with the FFP regulations on this and all other matters.[/highlight]
In normal circumstances, the Club would wish to pursue its case and present its position through every avenue of recourse. However, our decision to do so must be balanced against the practical realities for our fans, for our partners and in the interests of the commercial operations of the Club.

As a result of these considerations and the fact that the Club is now break even in in its operations, the Club has decided to enter into a compromise agreement with UEFA with the following practical outcomes:


- MCFC will lose 10m Euros of its share of income from UEFA for competing in the Champions League completion in season 2013-14.
- MCFC will lose 10m Euros of its share of income from UEFA for competing in the Champions League for season 2014-15
- Rather than having an accumulative allowance of 30m Euros of losses over the next two reporting years (like all other clubs), MCFC will have specific stipulated allowances for 2013-14 and 2014-15 of 20m Euros and 10m Euros respectively. Significantly, MCFC plans to be profitable in 2014-15 and in the years that follow.
- The MCFC Champions League squad for the 2014-15 competition will be limited to 21 players. In 2013-14 the club registered 23 players for the competition and used 21.
- The Club’s expenditure on new players for the upcoming summer transfer window, on top of income from players it might sell, will be limited to 60m euros. This will have no material impact on the Club’s planned transfer activity.
- The wage bill of the whole club (playing and non-playing staff) for 2014-15 will need to remain at the same level as that of 2013-14 season. It is important to note that additional bonuses for performances can be paid outside this number. Importantly, in reality, the existing MCFC business plan sees a natural decline in that wage bill.
- Given the unique nature of the new City Football Group structure – which incorporates MCFC, New York City, Melbourne Heart and a number of other companies, the Club has agreed to certain non-material terms in order to make FFP reporting as easy as possible for UEFA to discern.

The nature of conditions that will result in the lifting of sanctions means that the Club expects to be operating without sanction or restriction at the commencement of the 2015-16 season.

Importantly all non-financial sanctions agreed to would have been complied with as a natural course of the Club’s planned business operations.

That so much says up yours you bent cunts, we know your game, we'll put up with this for a quiet life this time as it has minimal damage, we've done fuck all wrong, we won't accept any guilt, don't fuck with us again or else we will come out all guns blazing, (but in a polite way) .

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

This is also interesting:

- The wage bill of the whole club (playing and non-playing staff) for 2014-15 will need to remain at the same level as that of 2013-14 season. It is important to note that additional bonuses for performances can be paid outside this number. Importantly, in reality, the existing MCFC business plan sees a natural decline in that wage bill.

I read somewhere that when we extended Yaya's contract we reduced his basic wage but offered performance bonuses, so it is probably the way we were going anyway.

Certainly more than hints that we will be finding a way around it.

[Green & Blue]

Fat cats at Uefa lining their own pockets.

Any ideas what kind of conditions we will be operating under as regards signing players?

[Ted Hughes]

This is also interesting:

- The wage bill of the whole club (playing and non-playing staff) for 2014-15 will need to remain at the same level as that of 2013-14 season. It is important to note that additional bonuses for performances can be paid outside this number. Importantly, in reality, the existing MCFC business plan sees a natural decline in that wage bill.

I read somewhere that when we extended Yaya's contract we reduced his basic wage but offered performance bonuses, so it is probably the way we were going anyway.

Certainly more than hints that we will be finding a way around it.

UEFA's statement refers to something about limiting expenses & benefits,so prehaps we have come to anarrangement where we can dodge round the wage bill during that period, provided we don't take the piss.

[Saul Goodman]

Apologies, can someone clarify the transfer window forced budget?

Is it 60m total or 60m + whatever we make selling players?

Interesting about the wage bill though...that means any players coming in, like Sagna for example, can only have wages as high as someone they're replacing, like Lescott for example. That means that if we dump Rodwell from the squad, a big name CB like Mangala coming in to replace his spot can't make more than him....
Seeing as Lescott is the big earner coming off the books, we're gonna have to figure out who gets his salary. Sagna supposedly wants big $$.

So, like people above have mentioned will we just add in easily obtainable performance bonuses to essentially up their wages?

[Ted Hughes]

Fat cats at Uefa lining their own pockets.

Any ideas what kind of conditions we will be operating under as regards signing players?

The Club’s expenditure on new players for the upcoming summer transfer window, on top of income from players it might sell, will be limited to 60m euros. This will have no material impact on the Club’s planned transfer activity.

Not seen any mention in the statements of whether the squad restriction includes keeping 8 'homegrown' players, or whether that has been negotiated as well. If it has, then the sanction makes absolutely no difference at all.

[Wooders]

The Club’s expenditure on new players for the upcoming summer transfer window, on top of income from players it might sell, will be limited to 60m euros. This will have no material impact on the Club’s planned transfer activity. Not seen any mention in the statements of whether the squad restriction includes keeping 8 'homegrown' players, or whether that has been negotiated as well. If it has, then the sanction makes absolutely no difference at all.

We'll have to meet the usual criteria meaning we'll probably need to drop some squad regulars from the cl team and put your guidettis in

[Crossie]

I see this as a win, the fine doesn't matter, the champs league squad reduction doesn't matter and the fact we've probably already lined up all our deals for less or the same as the limit imposed means we win.

Fuck you UEFA

Fuck you Platini

Fuck you football world

#together

[Green & Blue]

The Club’s expenditure on new players for the upcoming summer transfer window, on top of income from players it might sell, will be limited to 60m euros. This will have no material impact on the Club’s planned transfer activity. Not seen any mention in the statements of whether the squad restriction includes keeping 8 'homegrown' players, or whether that has been negotiated as well. If it has, then the sanction makes absolutely no difference at all.

Cheers Ted, not as bad as expected then.Got a bit of a fright when I flicked on to Ssn.

[Saul Goodman]

CL squad:

1. Hart
2. Backup gk
3. Zaba
4. Vk
5. Demich
6. Clichy
7. Kolarov
8. Nasti
9. Center half
10. Right back
11. Garcia
12. Fernandinho
13. Yaya
14. Navas
15. Milner
16. Nasri
17. Silva
18. Aguero
19. Dzeko
20. Negredo
21. Jovetic

That means only 2 "free spots" (and that's not including Micah and Rodwell) which are probably both defenders. But i don't know about the young player rule thing.