đ Editor of @wokinghamtoday & @rdgtoday
Reading, England
Joined September 2014
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This is what it has had to come to. This is what Dai Yongge has done to this club. #ReadingFC
Paul Ince: "The way it was run wasnât the way you should be running a football club." #ReadingFC
rdg.today/its-not-the-way-a-âŠ
Andy Preston retweeted
That guy who will accept any guilty verdict and "not be your friend anymore" sure is staying close to those former friends
Andy Preston retweeted
Genuinely feels soulless watching them play. Atleast last season there was rivalry, this just feels like a waste of everyones time.
âThe fans and players havent done anythingâ Look at how smug they are acting.
Genuine disgrace they are allowed to play in the Premier League.
*This tweet was sponsored by Etihad Airways
I watched the F1 film with Brad Pitt the other day, and thereâs a moment where his character asks to add something to the car that isnât really in the rules. The FIA punishes it, but the team can still race with the earlier car. It made me think.
In F1, the best teams live at the edge of the regulations. Sometimes the FIA allows what theyâve found, and sometimes it says that goes too far. Occasionally the rules are rewritten afterwards.
Now, City. Iâm not defending them. A commission found they entered into sham agreements and broke the spending limits. A sham is an arrangement that isnât what it claims to be, so thatâs a different thing from using a gap nobody had spotted.
City deny it and will appeal. But I find it useful to ask/reflect on how people inside the club see it.
From their point of view, PERHAPS they believe they were doing what elite competitors do: looking at the rules, finding the limits, challenging interpretations and moving faster than the regulatory system.
From the outside, you might look at that and say, âThatâs cheating.â From inside the organisation, they might say, âWe found something nobody had thought of.â
If you believe youâve found a way to bring money in, more or less within the rules (and the commission said it was not in the rules and it was cheating), you might tell yourself youâre just being a sharp competitor.
We are all asking âdid City cheat?â. But I find this question interesting too: âhow did City come to believe they werenât?â
And understanding a mindset, or trying to, isnât excusing it.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Manchester City were found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges by an independent commission. The comparison made is not in the same ball park to the level of rule breaking Man City have committed.
premierleague.com/en/news/472777âŠ
Andy Preston retweeted
Etihad threatening to sue. UAE reportedly intimating that UK investment could be pulled. A Prime Minister couching any criticisism. If this sorry saga doesn't convince you that state ownership of football clubs should never be allowed, nothing ever will.
Andy Preston retweeted
Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City. That man now runs FIFA. The infamous Gianni Infantino, then UEFA General Secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the Investigatory Chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG would merely receive a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have led to a Champions League ban. All of these details were also revealed through Football Leaks.
Given his actions as UEFA General Secretary and, more recently, as FIFA President, I can only say, in my humble opinion, that Gianni Infantino has become a cancer on football and should have no place in the future of the game.
Andy Preston retweeted
I really appreciate Pep ensuring, for the avoidance of all doubt, that he knew, was complicit, and backs it. That makes things much easier.
I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters.
Let me be clear: we will get through this together.
I love you all đ©”
Andy Preston retweeted
This is what happens when a society accepts idiots that are popular with children as broadcasters
Andy Preston retweeted
This might seem unwise in terms of protecting his legacy in football.
But itâs worth keeping in mind that Guardiola is still employed by the City Football Group as an ambassador, and his brother co-owns Girona alongside them, so him toeing this line is not especially surprising.
I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters.
Let me be clear: we will get through this together.
I love you all đ©”
Good god, itâs like some sections of that clubâs fanbase have reached full-on cult status at this point. The mental gymnastics around the Man City charges are genuinely something to behold.
Just take a look through this guys tweets and youâll see the reason why sportswashing is so successful. The level of delusion and wilful ignorance is staggering.
Another terrible night for @ManCity and everyone who loves the club.
But this is not over. The panel is not the end.
I do not see the people I know, the club I love, in this judgement.
See you at Anfield. đ©”
Andy Preston retweeted
Man City are currently trying to reassure everyone at the club they will prove their innocence đ
Quick bring Liam Gallagher to perform Wonderwall.
There is a real fear of fans turning on the ownership. The reality is setting in.
Superb stuff. Look at him squirm. Cheaters finally being brought to justice and it's just wonderful viewing.
"Do you apologise to football fans? The Premier League says 'sham' contracts, is this a 'sham' club?"
@RobHarris questions Man City chief executive Ferran Soriano after the club was found guilty of all charges related to Premier League's financial rules
trib.al/YimvoPJ
Andy Preston retweeted
City's statement is laughable. The threatening nature of it in keeping with how the club has been conducting it's shadowy business for years.
Where is this 'comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence'??
Clearly, given the findings of the Premier League and now the independent commission, they need to look up what comprehensive and irrefutable means.
Manchester City guilty of all charges related to financial rules, Premier League confirms bbc.in/4z59ttF
âHeâs one of our ownâ: Fans urged to back Reading FC defender after boos #ReadingFC
rdg.today/hes-one-of-our-ownâŠ
