By Tony Attwood
- How Arsenal have created entertainment, leaving the jorunalists far behind
- Is this the worst quality Premier League in its history?
Many, many years ago, Manchester City committed various footballing offences. 115 of them in fact, some dating back to between 2009 and 2018. The League charged them in 2023 and found them guilty. Manchester City were reported in the media to have allegedly made threats against the League and its other clubs, along the lines that if the League dared to impose sanctions, the club would tie the League up in legal battles, which would (it was allegedly said) bankrupt the League. I, of course, cannot validate such stories – this is just what has been said by some.
Quite why the PL has not taken the matter further since the apparent ManC appeal is not clear, and the media has decided that discussion of the issue is not something they are willing to engage in. That may be because ManC threatened to ban journalists from any publication that did comment, or it may be that there is an agreement not to discuss the appeal until it is formally heard. Obviously, I can’t validate any such tales.
Indeed, Untold Arsenal clearly doesn’t have a range of journalists getting inside info on such matters. But we do have something that virtually none of the media has – or at least if it has, it never uses. And that is logical thinking and supposition. These are not proofs of course, but it is just possible they might give us an insight into what could be going on.
I mention this now because of late there has been one further development in which the ManC manager, a Mr Guardiola, of whom it has been said, has made a few jokes about how Arsenal are allowed to spend money while ManC isn’t. This may be related to the fact that Mr G’s contract with ManC is coming to an end, and he has no intention of ever working in England again. But that too is just a supposition on my part. Untold Arsenal has no mole inside ManC so we have no more idea what is going on than anyone else. If anything is going on.
Indeed, the fact that Guardiola is now making claims that Arsenal do not win trophies despite spending more than ManC suggests that ManC is not only feeling safe from any form of prosecution by the League but also that he expects to leave England for good in the near future.
Certainly, the reality is that ManC has reduced its spending considerably and is simply benefitting from the previous investment in their academy, which is allowing them to bring through players of quality, while also selling on other quality players that have come through the academy.
We might also consider the other clubs that are owned by the same family, because ManC are now reported to be seventh in the Premier League net spend table over the past five years while the “City Group” has grown and grown and now includes a dozen clubs…
- Manchester City
- Palermo
- New York City
- Girona
- Melbourne City
- Yokohama F. Marinos
- ESTAC Troyes
- Lommel SK
- Mumbai City
- Sichuan Jiuniu F.C.
- Montevideo City Torque
- Club Bolivar
That list isn’t often reported – just as the media rarely, if ever, talk about why there is such a delay in going any further with resolving the appeal related to the 115 charges against ManC.
The hearing started in September 2024 and lasted 10 weeks. Five months later, Pep Guardiola said the club expected to learn the verdict “within one month”. Allowing for time off for holidays, we might say that takes us up to January 2025; 13 months ago.
So here’s a question. Why, 13 months after the date of the expected announcement, have we still heard nothing?
And here’s another one: why, given the above, are none of the media outlets that cover football even mentioning this delay? Is it because the media thinks we have lost interest? Or that ManC or the Premier League has instructed the mainstream media not to write about it? Have the executives of ManC been too busy to attend meetings?
Has the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, who owns over four-fifths of the entire football group, expressed his displeasure at something?
Are the rest of the League clubs except ManC preparing to resign en masse, and then form another league, before going to the Championship and offering relegation and promotion arrangements with them?
Of course, they may already have done that and are simply coordinating arrangements with other countries. But I must make it clear that this is pure speculation. I have no inside information on the workings or planning of these organisations whatsoever.
I just think it is weird that a) nothing is happening, and b) the media have totally and utterly dropped the subject. We mention it, of course. But then we are Untold.
If i remember correctly at the time Sky Sports for example told the journalists to not bring up the subject.
Yes. And a tacit agreement with the media.
Leicester fined rather quickly for their indiscretions
When it is proved that all 115 indictments are all wrong , and there is no need for further action , I would have to reconsider watching the EPL ! The fact remains that I only watch one game a week , and very occasionally glancing back to see that the other clubs are losing , is a joy in itself !
That we in Malaysia are being one tracked to follow the agreed script , yet there are a few who think for ourselves .
I do not follow any of the programs put out by the EPL , fan based or otherwise , I feel saner and less likely to lash out .
Up the Gunners !
No doubt we’ll get the same old, “it’s because we’re innocent”, pleadings from Man $ity supporters. Well if that’s the case, why haven’t we been told that. If they were innocent, the EPL and media would have nothing to fear. Well apart from the fact that English football would be shown to not be in control of it’s own league.
Tony’s speculations that either the EPL are running scared of $ity or that others members are planning something else, seem pretty reasonable given the circumstances. Maybe this is why Pep is having a go at other teams who have spent more money than them recently – but far less over a long period of time and aren’t actually breaking any rules. The one thing that seems pretty certain is that if $ity were innocent, there would have been no reason not to say so a very long time ago.
Alright…new name… “ManCity115”