It Just Gets Better

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Manchester United have vowed to challenge any case brought against them regarding their dealings with Paul Pogba.

The Red Devils saw Premier League rivals Chelsea handed an 18-month transfer embargo on Thursday after they were deemed to have broken Fifa regulations.

The charge related to their acquisition of French youngster Gael Kakuta from Lens in 2007.

United could be the next side in the firing line, with Ligue 2 outfit Le Havre threatening to report them to Fifa.

They are unhappy at the manner in which Sir Alex Ferguson's men went about their pursuit of teenage star Pogba.

United, however, insist they have done nothing wrong, despite the player yet to be officially registered at Old Trafford.

"It is complete nonsense," a spokesman for United said.

"Everything has been done within Uefa guidelines."

Le Havre managing director Alain Belsoeur disagrees and claims to have documentation proving United offered Pogba incentives to join the club.

"We are still pursuing our case," Belsoeur told The Times.

"It is a very serious case. We are confident that we'll win because it is in the best interests not just of our club but of sport.

"We spend 5million euros [about £4.3million] on our academy every year out of a turnover of 12million euros. It is a huge investment.

"We do that to give a chance to our players to develop for our first team, not to be an academy for others.

"What is the point of investing in an academy if the players leave at 16? This is clearly a message from Fifa to protect the education system."

[yankmanc]

I totally agree with Belsour. Based on our recent past, hopefully the core City fans will continue to support measures that protect youth systems. We could theoretically go crazy with poaching talent, but I'd rather see us focusing on growing our own and when we do poach, compensating fairly for it. (besides, we have the cash)

[The Man In Blue]

if the rags have any action taken against them by either governing body i will be amazed.

[Slim]

I thought city had one of the top academies in the country and ours only cost £2M/year, how is Le Fucking Havre spending 4.3M? And their turnover is 12M euros? I think they are fucking lying to pad out the compensation claim.

[sweenyuk]

How can Chelsea be punished so hard and United get away with tapping up Berbaflop..?? Spurs made it very clear they had not allowed United to talk to the player when Fergie was picking him up from the airport...

[Slim]

How can Chelsea be punished so hard and U***d get away with tapping up Berbaflop..?? Spurs made it very clear they had not allowed U***d to talk to the player when Fergie was picking him up from the airport...

There is a difference between tapping up a kid who you don't have to pay for and an adult who is under contract and paying full price for. Also there needs to be a complaint from the selling/robbed club and in this case the price was amended to ensure that didn't happen.

BTW, glass houses here sweeny, we tapped up Lescott and anyone who thinks otherwise is just fucking naive.

[ja0005]

How can Chelsea be punished so hard and U***d get away with tapping up Berbaflop..?? Spurs made it very clear they had not allowed U***d to talk to the player when Fergie was picking him up from the airport...

Because Spurs bottled it and refused to file a complaint - If I remember rightly the FA's stance was that if there's no compaint, then there's no offence.

With regard to clubs poaching young talent, it looks as if our owners saw this one coming and by setting up academies abroad we can still get the best talent but not fall foul of FIFA (until they change the rules to spite us) and, IMO more importantly, not uproot schoolchildren and move them to a foreign country. We've got one of the finest academy bosses on the planet travelling the world and setting us up everywhere, using the blueprint that made our home academy so successful. If we do this right it will not only benefit our club but will turn those that don't make it into better players who will then benefit their home leagues. Nice one City.

[Slim]

The trick with South American talent which I believe is where we are focusing is we cannot sign anyone before their 18th birthday anyway. (There was an uproar when some club....it might have been Chelsea, had the parents immigrate to England and quick as you like the lad was in their academy) So we set up an academy in their country we aren't signing them to the club just getting them indoctrinated into the family early on and adapted to the style of play in England, so when they hit 18 they have an easy path into European football via us.

[Dameerto]

This is why I was surprised at the second overseas Academy being planned for North America rather than South America (and more specifically Brazil)

[s1ty m]

I'd be staggered if those rag bastars got any sort of punishment; they have behaved like big bastard bullies since time began. the berbatov thing was just the tip of the iceburg, what about their taking giggs, butt and scholes all those years back. at least 2 of those players were kids with us. it is a separate set of rules for the rags. just look at the penalty arsenal did not get the other week...nailed on red card, without question. look at any aspect of football and it appears completely distorted to them. i despise them, so much i have no word to adequaetely sum it up.

[dick dastardley]

How can Chelsea be punished so hard and U***d get away with tapping up Berbaflop..?? Spurs made it very clear they had not allowed U***d to talk to the player when Fergie was picking him up from the airport...

THEY ARE A LAW TO THEMSELVES UNITED ARE, THEY WILL NEVER GET PROPER PUNISHMENT

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

£4.3m they spend on Academy from turnover of 12m???? How is that even possible?

[Ted Hughes]

If Utd have signed him at 16 they've done nothing wrong provided he hadn't signed a contract with the French team. If they've had him break his contract at 15 they're in deep shit.

Regarding the figures given for their academy, it's quite possible that it is true. Our academy whilst successful to a level, is being expanded to be as good/better than some of those abroad.

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Le Havre president Jean-Pierre Louvel has contacted Fifa about Manchester United's signing of Paul Pogba.

Chelsea were hit with an 18-month transfer embargo earlier this week following their illegal purchase of Gael Kakuka from Lens in 2007.

Le Havre were quick to praise Fifa for taking such a stance and threatened to report United for the way they approached teenage star Pogba.

World football's governing body announced on Friday they had yet to receive an official complaint from Le Havre but Louvel claims he has now submitted the case.

The French official hopes Fifa will come down just as hard on United as they did with the Blues.

"The player had a no-hire agreement, and so had to sign his first contract in France," Louvel told radio station France Info.

"But he didn't sign it because Manchester United contacted the parents and made astronomical and excessive financial propositions for a 15-year-old boy.

"We have submitted the case to Fifa. The letter to leave has not been agreed by the French Federation, so today Fifa has been referred.

"I hope we will get the same result (as the Gaël Kakuta case), which could justify to those clubs they can't do anything and they have rules to respect."

Fifa have yet to confirm receipt of the complaint, while United insisted on Friday they would challenge any case brought against them.

[blootoof]

Ken Bates is now stickin his fat oar in(about us/Everton)

Ken Bates: Now Fifa must punish 'poachers' Manchester City and Everton like Chelsea

Ken Bates believes Chelsea have finally got their comeuppance - and is demanding that English football chiefs now take a leaf out of FIFA's book by clobbering Manchester City and Everton.

The Leeds United chairman is outraged that top Premier League clubs are still plundering his club's finest young talent.

Three years ago, the Sunday Mirror broke the story that Bates intended to take the Blues to the cleaners for cherry-picking two Leeds rookies - Tom Taiwo and Michael Woods - on the cheap.

He told us that Chelsea had acted improperly in signing the duo - as well as trying to lure away youngster Danny Rose - and revealed that he would report them to FIFA.

Leeds eventually won a £5m compensation battle for the pair, while Spurs had to pay out £1m the following summer for Rose.

Bates, 77, welcomed the worldwide transfer ban on the Stamford Bridge giants after they were found guilty of "inducing" French wonderkid Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens.

He said: "If you break the rules the chickens will come to roost."

While resisting the temptation to say "I told you so", the former Blues supremo is clearly delighted that FIFA are clamping down on the big boys.

And now he wants the Football League to take similar action against moneybags City and Everton - who have both raided the League One outfit's renowned youth academy recently.

Last month, Leeds lost promising teenagers George Swann and Louis Hutton to Eastlands, while England under-17 captain Luke Garbutt left for Goodison Park.

The Toffees are facing a tribunal on Garbutt tomorrow and Bates said: "I hope the Chelsea ruling sends a message to the Football League tribunal about compensating smaller clubs adequately.

"Big clubs who strip other clubs' youth policy should face stiff penalties.

"How can Manchester City pay £24 million for Joleon Lescott and take two of our 14-year-olds - and only offer us £70,000? They've spent £200m on new players and that's all they are offering.

"On Monday we have a tribunal for Garbutt, who Everton nicked from us.

"I hope the ruling that has been handed down from FIFA on Chelsea will set the scene. It certainly sends a message to the Football League compensation tribunal about compensation.

"I'm not just talking about Leeds. Lots of smaller clubs than us have been stripped of their best kids and they should be adequately compensated."

Garbutt, 16, starred for the national under-17 side that competed at the European Championships earlier this year, scoring England's only goal of the finals against Holland in their 1-1 draw.

The defender was born in Harrogate and joined Leeds at the age of 11 before progressing through the club's successful academy to find himself on the brink of a first team debut last season.

Coaching staff at Everton rate Garbutt so highly that he is being tipped to eclipse teenagers like Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell - and even Wayne Rooney.

"We are dissatisfied," added Bates. "The days of nicking Leeds players and paying peanuts are over. We are determined to be adequately compensated for the work we are doing in our academy."

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Ke ... 145881.htm

[Vhero]

Hmm Leeds haven't pressed charges against us though just Everton probably due to lack of proof however would be good for the rags and scouse 2 to get this the one thing I don't get is the Gooners are the Worst in the prem for this sort of thing yet they are not mentioned once anywhere. Wenger been tapping youngsters up for nothing for many years now and selling them on for a nice profit years later. No doubt he's next on the hit list..