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The 2025-2026 Football Thread

Apple fanboy said:
Leicester City docked 6 points for financial irregularities.

Manchester City just continue to avoid any such punishments.
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An appalling example of a double standard.
Apple fanboy said:
Who says money can’t buy you freedom from following the rules?
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Ghastly.
Lord Blackadder said:
Man City have almost certainly financially doped more flagrantly than anyone else ever has.
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Agreed.
Lord Blackadder said:
And they’ll never be substantially punished for it. Because they’d have to forfeit trophies and the league will never do that, no matter what.
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Unfortunately, all too true.
Apple fanboy said:
It’s a travesty. But entirely expected.
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Completely agree.
mrsmith1 said:
Regardless of what is or isnt happening with Man City, Leicester having been dodging the rules for so long and desrve everything thats coming to them.
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If Leicester deserve sanction, and merit punishment, then, so, too, - and to a far greater extent - do Manchester City.
 
Abu Dhabi (I’m not going to bother continuing the fiction that this is Man City doing this) has made it clear to the league that if they try to make the charges stick, Abu Dhabi will retaliate in every legal way they can to damage the credibility and even the existence of the league. They will personally attack the people involved in the investigation, they will smear anyone and everyone involved.

The League is in an impossible situation. They’d rather function as a cartel, preserving the gravy train for all the wealthy teams. And the other teams don’t want FFP to be prying too hard into THEIR finances, or to further constrain spending, but they also KNOW that Man City is flagrantly financially doping, and effectively, stealing from the other teams.

So the league would rather it all go away but they can’t walk back without suffering a fatal blow to their credibility.

I expect Man City to get away with it. The league is too weak, too divided, and they don’t really believe in FFP anyway.

This is why self-policing is a joke. Without an independent overseer corruption will always win out.

It will end as it always ends for the big teams - a slap on the wrist.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
Abu Dhabi (I’m not going to bother continuing the fiction that this is Man City doing this) has made it clear to the league that if they try to make the charges stick, Abu Dhabi will retaliate in every legal way they can to damage the credibility and even the existence of the league. They will personally attack the people involved in the investigation, they will smear anyone and everyone involved.

The League is in an impossible situation. They’d rather function as a cartel, preserving the gravy train for all the wealthy teams. And the other teams don’t want FFP to be prying too hard into THEIR finances, or to further constrain spending, but they also KNOW that Man City is flagrantly financially doping, and effectively, stealing from the other teams.

So the league would rather it all go away but they can’t walk back without suffering a fatal blow to their credibility.

I expect Man City to get away with it. The league is too weak, too divided, and they don’t really believe in FFP anyway.

This is why self-policing is a joke. Without an independent overseer corruption will always win out.

It will end as it always ends for the big teams - a slap on the wrist.
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Very depressing but, alas, very possibly, all too lamentably true.

However, they will have to impose - and be seen to impose - some sort of (somewhat serious) sanction on Manchester City (not least, in the light of the punishment taking the form of a six point deduction that has just been meted out to Leicester City) or run the risk of losing absolutely all of the remaining tatters of their shredded credibility.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
However, they will have to impose - and be seen to impose - some sort of (somewhat serious) sanction on Manchester City (not least, in the light of the punishment taking the form of a six point deduction that has just been meted out to Leicester City) or run the risk of losing absolutely all of the remaining tatters of their shredded credibility.
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Anything less than relegation and revocation of the relevant titles would be an inadequate punishment if the allegations are accurate.

But I can’t see a circumstance where the league would ever impose either punishment for financial doping. For bribing refs or influencing matches, maybe. But not for financial crimes.

And any fine, no matter how large - and I mean that, it could be billions - is a laughable speed bump for Abu Dhabi. They’d consider it simply the cost of doing business. And they would probably get it whittled down to a pittance on appeal. As always.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Leeds versus Forest tonight. Hoping for both teams to lose. Some horrific injuries and a big punch up at the end of the game with lots of suspensions for their key players.

#clutchingatstraws!
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Effectibely still a 1/3rd of the season to go. 42 points available from 14 games. Time for clubs to start feeling the tiredness creep in. The big clubs playing more games, the middle of the table sides resigned to their fates, and those at the bottom, scrapping for every point, and 'parking the bus', to help get one.
 
Romero doing Romero things killed off the Utd / Spurs match, but it was a relief to see United not repeating what happened against 10-man Everton.

Clearly they're having more fun playing, and we're having more fun watching them.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Anything less than relegation and revocation of the relevant titles would be an inadequate punishment if the allegations are accurate.
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Couldn't agree more.
Lord Blackadder said:
But I can’t see a circumstance where the league would ever impose either punishment for financial doping. For bribing refs or influencing matches, maybe. But not for financial crimes.
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Unfortunately, I find myself in appalled, and reluctant, agreement with you.
Lord Blackadder said:
And any fine, no matter how large - and I mean that, it could be billions - is a laughable speed bump for Abu Dhabi. They’d consider it simply the cost of doing business. And they would probably get it whittled down to a pittance on appeal. As always.
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Nevertheless, (and with a nod to what was imposed on already punished Leicester), and notwithstanding what you have written, it should not be beyond them to impose a punishment consisting of - at the very least - an exceedingly large fine and a (relatively significant) points deduction.
 
The Sports app is very decent. Bonus points for not trying to feed me ads constantly unlike some of the others.

I mainly use for football and tennis.

IMG_2932.png
 
Apple fanboy said:
Plenty of time to throw it away, but if we lose today we deserve to go down, no question.
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As far as I know, you are currently in the lead by two goals to nil.

And, as for us, we lead Sunderland by three goals to nil with 93 minutes played, and, mirabile dictu, two of those goals have been scored by Viktor Gyokeres.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
As far as I know, you are currently in the lead by two goals to nil.

And, as for us, we lead Sunderland by three goals to nil with 93 minutes played, and, mirabile dictu, two of those goals have been scored by Viktor Gyokeres.
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Yup. A must win game. I still don’t think we will stay up though. Not unless Forest set up a terrible run.

We play Man Utd this week, so I can’t see us winning.
 
It’s not inconceivable that Spurs will go down, my stepfather will be turning in his grave (except he was cremated 🤔).
 
Man Utd are looking like serious title contenders next season. Could even finish second this season.

Spurs did OK until the sending off today. Still made a game of it after that. They won't be relegated with several first teamers set to return from injury before the end of the season.
 
In the Premier League, well, any league actually, one cannot rely on another team doing them a favour.
How did Liverpool allow Citeh (yes, spelt it that way on purpose) to come back into the game, and then win, too? 🤬
 
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