Rivals ganging up to ban City: Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal may test Champions League ruling on Financial Fair Play
Small print in UEFA FFP rule could affect Manchester City's eligibility for the Champions League
Jose Mourinho accuses unnamed clubs of 'dodgy FFP'
'Major clubs' away of potential rights to appeal against those considered to have cheated their way to passing FFP test
Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool could use UEFA small print to challenge Manchester City’s right to play in the Champions League next season.
The rules now effectively set up a scenario where rivals can claim City have cheated their way to passing UEFA’s ‘Financial Fair Play’ (FFP) test.
It is understood lawyers for a host of ‘major clubs’ are aware of these potential rights to make appeals — thanks to recently amended Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations — and are monitoring the situation closely.
On Saturday night Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who faces City on Monday in the game of the season so far, accused some unnamed clubs of ‘dodgy FFP’.
He said: ‘There are clubs that are following exactly the project of Financial Fair Play and there are other clubs doing it in a dodgy way. For me, that is very clear. I don’t say the clubs — that is not my job.’
When asked specifically about City, and a potential UEFA investigation, he added: ‘It’s for Mr Platini and other people to analyse it, it’s not for me… I’m waiting for that.’
FFP rules compel clubs to limit losses for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons combined to £37million, with a ban from European competitions the severest theoretical punishment. City last week announced losses for 2012-13 of £51.6m, meaning they have lost £149.5m over two years.
They can perhaps ‘exempt’ as much as £110m of those losses to meet FFP requirements. But they face accusations their losses are artificially low after earning cash from ‘intellectual property’ sales to related companies. UEFA sources have confirmed this will be investigated to see if it is ‘real’ income.
Amended small print in the 2014 UEFA FFP rulebook, just published, includes two key changes; one allowing clubs to ‘plea bargain’ punishments for overspending, and another that allows other clubs to challenge those plea bargains if they feel the outcomes negatively affect them.
Barcelona target Manchester City star David Silva as a replacement for Xavi
Barcelona are looking to buy David Silva and turn him into their midfield playmaker, as a replacement for Barca veteran Xavi
Barcelona will go all out to land Manchester City playmaker David Silva to replace the ageing Xavi, writes Steve Bates in the Sunday People.
Senior officials from the Catalan club have compiled a list of candidates to take over the 34-year-old Barca idol’s role this summer – and £50million-rated Silva is their unanimous choice.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini views Silva as crucial to his side’s success in the coming seasons as they try to dominate the Premier League and the Champions League.
But Nou Camp bosses see Silva as the perfect replacement for Xavi, who passed his landmark 700th game for the La Liga giants last month.
The iconic midfielder is rumoured to have had offers from both the USA and China to take a massive final payday, and there have been whispers that he is not as effective as he was in previous seasons. Some in the Barca hierarchy believe that his many years at the top, playing a high intensity pressing game with Spain and Barcelona, have taken their toll on Xavi.
And they see Silva, 28, as the ideal man to slot into midfield at the Nou Camp if and when Xavi moves on.
Pellegrini fears that City star Silva will be ambushed when he joins up with Spain for the World Cup in Brazil this summer.
Barcelona’s big names may try to tempt Silva back to his homeland – a lure that could prove too much for the former Valencia star who joined City for £25million in 2010.
Barcelona’s executives are facing key decisions in midfield and defence as well, with skipper Carles Puyol reaching 36 in April.
But it is a replacement for passing machine Xavi that is key for them – and a nightmare prospect for City.
Roberto Mancini's Man City pay-off was the BIGGEST in British football history
The former Man City boss was paid over £10million when his contract was terminated - the biggest ever paid by a British club
Original estimates suggested Mancini had been in line for a £7million compensation package, but Sunday Mirror Sport can now reveal the pay-off was in excess of £10m.
The cost of his dismissal was absorbed into the massive salary figure in the Etihad accounts for the year ending May 2013. City paid more than £233m in wages in that period – an annual increase of over £30m – but that included the sum given to Mancini and the staff who left with him last summer.
Now managing Galatasaray, Mancini was only one season into a five-year contract, worth a massive £37m.
A City spokesperson would not confirm the bumper payment and cited confidentiality issues as the reason it was not specifically detailed in the accounts. It certainly helps explain the big jump in wages.
Mancini will return to England next month for the second leg of his club’s Champions League tie against Chelsea.
And there are already suggestions in Turkey that he might fancy another crack at the Premier League.
Galatasaray lie second in the Turkish League, but are 19 points behind Fenerbahce. If they fail to close the gap, Mancini may be in trouble again
Mourinho continues to fan the flames ahead of Manchester City clash.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho believes Manchester City have underachieved, particularly in Europe, since the start of one of the most extravagant spending sprees football will ever see.
City won a first Premier League title in 44 years in 2012, but have yet to make a firm impact on the Champions League, in which they face the might of Barcelona later this month in the first knockout round.
Mourinho was manager early in the Roman Abramovich revolution, guiding Chelsea to a first championship in 50 years, something they successfully defended, while also winning the League Cup twice and the FA Cup in a period bankrolled by the billionaire Russian oligarch.
The early trophy return following Abramovich’s outlandish spending compares favourably with Sheikh Mansour’s outlay under Roberto Mancini, who is now in charge of a Galatasaray team Chelsea face in Europe this month.
“They won one title, won a couple of cups,” said Mourinho, the only Champions League-winning manager in the Premier League.
“Only in Europe they didn’t do well, or close to doing well.
“Speaking objectively, they did very bad in the Champions League in previous seasons, also in the Europa League.
“But the team is fantastic, the squad is fantastic and normally they (should) win more titles.”
Asked what it will take for City to progress to the latter stages of the Champions League, Mourinho made reference to boss Manuel Pellegrini’s mis-calculation at Bayern Munich, when his side needed one more goal to advance as group winners and avoid the likes of Barcelona in the last 16.
“The first thing to be successful in Europe is to know the rules of the competition. That’s the first thing,” added Mourinho, with a smile.
Compared to his first spell, Mourinho is working in straitened times, with Chelsea insisting they are complying with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.
Mourinho has repeatedly taken veiled swipes at City for, in his eyes, flouting the regulations which are still to be enforced with sanctions, and is enjoying the challenge of building a Chelsea team for the next decade.
He believes City are clear favourites for the Premier League title and must accept that responsibility, but that Chelsea will soon be ready to go toe-to-toe with them.
He added: “I enjoy building a team. I enjoy building the future.
“I enjoy not working just for today, and next season to start again with another team, spending a lot of money again, selling a lot of players, bringing in a lot of players.
“I’m enjoying this very, very much. To be the underdog I don’t enjoy.
“(But) I think I’m going to enjoy next season. It is more me - and I think it’s more Chelsea too - to start next season and say immediately we are candidates, the same way the others are candidates.”
Asked if Chelsea can keep pace with City, given their spending, Mourinho said: “We think that we are not very far from having a squad that allows us to compete face to face with every club, doesn’t matter how much the investment is, doesn’t matter how much the financial play is ‘fair’ or ‘dodgy’.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... rules.html
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[/spoiler]Dutch striker Robin van Persie, 30, could return to Arsenal at the end of the season after being left disillusioned following the departure of Alex Ferguson from Manchester United. DSSC
Sunderland's 25-year-old midfielder Lee Cattermole, who was the subject of a deadline-day bid from Stoke City, also interested Napoli coach Rafa Benitez. Mirror
Arsenal are trying to send deadline-day signing Kim Kallstrom back to Spartak Moscow after discovering that the 31-year-old Swedish midfielder will be out for six weeks with a back injury. Sun
Schalke general manager Horst Heldt says 20-year-old attacking midfielder Julian Draxler, a target for Arsenal, was the subject of a number of bids in the January transfer window. Goal.com
Manchester United are closing in on a world-record $1bn kit sponsorship deal with Nike that could earn the club £70m per year. Express
Randy Lerner wants to sell Aston Villa, and is hoping to receive as much as £200m for the club from a wealthy US investor. Sun
Everton assistant manager Graeme Jones, 43, has been lined up by Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins as a replacement for manager Michael Laudrup, 49. People
Fulham have identified former Charlton and West Ham boss Alan Curbishley, 56 as a possible replacement for struggling manager Rene Meulensteen, 49. Sun
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is losing patience with Tim Sherwood as head coach and has lined up Dutchman Louis van Gaal, 62, to replace the 44-year-old. Mirror
West Brom boss Pepe Mel, 50, allowed his players to air their views on the team's tactics after the 4-3 defeat by Aston Villa.Express
Ross Barkley is ready to sign a new long-term contract at Everton that will land the 20-year-old midfielder a significant rise on his £15,000 per week wages. People
Stan Kroenke first bought 9.9% of shares in Arsenal in 2007 Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, 66, intends to create a football team called the Los Angeles Gunners on the west coast of America. Sun
Eintracht Braunschweig found an innovative way to deal with a waterlogged pitch - calling in a helicopter to blow water off the surface. Metro
more bollox soon
