[Football] Man City launch legal action against Premier League

[Gabbiano]

Man City agrees to the rules of the Premier League by virtue of participating in it - PSR are the terms of the agreement to which they must abide.

The Premier League is a private business, is it not? Therefore the terms are set by the League, not by some higher government body, so where is the injustice? Some tenuous claim of racism against the Middle East?

Tyranny of the majority is a valid concept in political theory - for example if the majority in a democracy all voted to actively discriminate against X minority, that would be a proper example. I.e. a true democracy should represent all groups not only the largest.

Except this isn't a democracy, it's Man City breaking the rules that they themselves signed up to.

 

[niknokseagull]

One wonders if this might not be a calculated move beyond the consequences of FFP sanctions. The European Super League never did go away (or did it?).
Could this result in certain clubs across multiple countries flouncing off, blaming EPL/UEFA/FIFA ‘unlawful restriction of trade’ and forming a new Super League anyway?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Yep. I won’t accept whoever gets voted in at the next election, as that will just be tyranny of the majority!

While I take your point, it's not a great comparison given whoever wins the next election almost certainly won't have been elected by a majority of voters.

 

[Stan Awful]

The so called top English clubs were crying out for an elite league where they could make as much money as possible promising the highest quality football in the best league in the world, hence the Premier League was born. Along came Leicester and smashed the elite, oh they did not like their elitism challenged.
The Premier league money was not enough to feed the beast, so they duck and dive to keep within rules they initially agreed too, thinking they could not be challenged.
The world is not enough apparently, City and the rest are nothing but rat snakes, the only animal that will attempt and sometimes eat itself.

Also

I imagine 16/17 clubs that are for FFP will happily sue the PL of they give in

Ultimately fans (both live and armchair) will end up paying for the Premier League's legal bill. Manchester City should just be booted out of the Premier League. If you don't agree with the rules, either change them within the existing mechanisms or leave the EPL.

 

[Milano]

They are going to become absolutely hated, even by hypocrite fans of the other 5.

 

[Greenbag50]

They are going to become absolutely hated, even by hypocrite fans of the other 5.

They may even be hated/disgusted by some of their own, who are old enough to remember the glory days of terraces in Maine Road and Franny Lee….
Sad days of a once traditional club…. Horrible to see.

 

[A1X]

I say this with foreknowledge of how it may be received on these hallowed pages: I hate City more than Palace.

That's the level of distaste I have for the blue side of Manchester and of everything they represent.

Palace are panto villains, we all love to boo and hiss and it’s all good times, but ultimately they’re largely harmless.

City are bond villains, calculating and bent on world domination through fair means or foul (mostly foul).

 

[Wardy's twin]

Don’t most people tend to live to the limit and beyond their salaries? Although it would be hard to do that with the money top footballers earn I accept

no...

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

Spot on really. And I think if they win this and sue the league that's the end of the Premier League, and probably the end of domestic English football in general.

Half would f*** off to some tik tok streamed Super League funded by oil barons and New York financiers, whilst the other half would need to be re-absorbed into the Football League. Both sets of those clubs would owe hundreds of millions to TV companies and it would likely bankrupt those who weren't part of a new Super League, where those "super clubs" would be fine to cover it with their new windfalls.

The Premier League pretty much have to get through this, and punish City or that's that.

Agree here, but what makes you think it would be the end of the PL and English football? If they win this case, of course. Is it because it would open the door for the other big clubs to do the same?

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

f***ing murdering ****s. Hate them and their owners.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

It's times like this when I wish the clubs that consider themselves above the rest of football would feck off into a European Super League and leave fairly normal clubs like ours to play other fairly normal clubs in a reasonably competitive league.

 

[Berty23]

This could get so messy. I hope all the other clubs stick together on this. I wonder if there could be a way of getting rid of them. That would be epic. They would then realise the league makes them rather than them making the league.

I wonder what fans of all the other clubs could do. Maybe all fans could boycott every city match. Home and away. Maybe do a walkout at a certain time.

It is just laughable that a side who have won 4 titles in a row don’t like the rules being made to try and make it more competitive. I hope their fans turn on them like fans did re super league.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Thank God that Ipswich are now on the Premier League. They can produce one of their classic banners deriding Man City when they play them.

 

[Taybha]

This little chap summed up what I instantly thought when I heard the latest bollox dribbling it's way out of Manchester.

 

[Mackenzie]

They may even be hated/disgusted by some of their own, who are old enough to remember the glory days of terraces in Maine Road and Franny Lee….
Sad days of a once traditional club…. Horrible to see.

They are.

Mate of mine has followed them since the days of Colin Bell (he even named his son Colin) but has walked away since the new owners took them over. He endured it for a couple of years, but you could tell that his joy of the games was being eroded by effectively being able to buy titles. He goes to Bristol Rovers now to get his football fix.

I’m certain he’s not alone amongst their more intelligent “legacy” fans. I’d hate for us to go the same way.

 

[GloryDays]

Scum

 

[warmleyseagull]

We are not powerless. We and others could simply refuse to play Man City in the League. Think that will be far more effective than £hundreds of millions in legal fees.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Presumably they'll be

We are not powerless. We and others could simply refuse to play Man City in the League. Think that will be far more effective than £hundreds of millions in legal fees.

That is a fantastic idea.

Forfeiting games, they would probably win anyway - without their players geting the exposure they need from the competition

 

[Uh_huh_him]

If the other 14 forfeit their away game at the Etihad Next season.
Surely City would have to compensate their season ticket holders and they would have less match day revenue as a result..

It would certainly create a lot of noise and force the issue even further.

 

[HillBarnTillIDie]

Presumably they'll be

That is a fantastic idea.

Forfeiting games, they would probably win anyway - without their players geting the exposure they need from the competition

It is a great idea in principle. Could backfire though.

I would fear that the reaction by the Saudis would be severe, using means (and i'm not talking just in the football world) to get back at any participants in the revolt.

We are talking about a state with vast links stretching worldwide, in businesses and organisations. Money is no object. For instance, they could put pressure or expel the sponsors/ties of revolting clubs doing business in their country or with organisations the kingdom has a stakehold in. Cut off supply… Siege tactics.

It could get very ugly indeed.