Arsenal is self-sufficient and that business model is the only acceptable one now.
Spending freely by any club is no longer tolerated, transfer bans, huge fines and now Champions League bans is the price that clubs will pay if they do not live within their means.
Everyone knew what Man City was doing was basically cheating, there is no other way to put it, I personally feel they should be stripped of their titles for the years they broke the rules but that is another discussion entirely.
They are not the only club cheating, PSG and Chelsea should also be held to account, they have distorted football and it was no longer a level playing field.
It should not matter how big a club is, they must abide by the rules and Arsenal have been doing that now for years. The reason Arsenal cannot afford big-money players right now is because of poor transfer business and non-qualification for the Champions League.
That is the price Arsenal are paying for their own failings, once they get back into the Champions League and do much better transfer deals then the big money signings will come.
Tottenham did not do any incoming transfer business for two seasons, Chelsea have now gone two windows without spending any money, both have Champions League football and so they can outspend Arsenal, that is the nature of this business and how it should be.
Leicester City got £80 Million for Harry Maguire and will probably qualify for next seasons Champions League, that means even they can outspend Arsenal in the summer if they wanted to and again, that is right and fair.
This is no defence of Stan Kroenke but his determination for the club to be self-sufficient and live within its means has been vindicated. It is the other areas that Arsenal have fallen down, losing Aaron Ramsey on a free being the most recent example.
If only Wenger was still here, 5th could be his new 4th!
Hahaha 1000 x thumbs up
City blatantly broke the rules and many thought it was just fine, as the ends justified the means.
I only hope this leads to PSG and other Middle East owned clubs being looked into.How can PSG pay their top players from a 48,000 Stadium with tickets less than the EPL ?
Phil, UEFA hates both PSG as well as City that’s why PSG will again go out due to refereeing ‘bad luck’.
The problem is legalistic. As you know a top team of lawyers can find loopholes in virtually any system. And no one can tell sponsors how much they should pay to the clubs, even when it’s obviously inflated.
City got busted because of those revealing emails, where they were caught virutally bragging about their financial doping, otherwise they’d still be in the same position as PSG.
So don’t hold your breath for any great spreading of justice.
Exactly, it was the lies and cover-up that got City the huge punishment. If they would have said sorry, we won’t do it again, you can monitor everything etc then they would have been fined only.
Surely their ban show how UEFA are bought? I mean PSG have nothing like the revenue streams of premier league clubs but have spent similar to city taking a £1b worth of sponsorship from a country, some how UUEFA deemed it correct after independents cried foul. Looks like the only error City made was not greasing UEFA palms like PSG and others, PSG now having a actual UEFA board member!!! I see UEFA regretting this as if city do fail with CAS it will be going to the real World courts and I can see City pulling their huge resources to bring UEFA down. They are systemically corrupt it’s clear every week another scandal involving board members. Football is better off without UEFA and FIFA just don’t let the replacements act in a same way.
Quite a lot wrong with your statement. for starters, it is the lies and cover-up that City got the ban for otherwise would have been just a fine. The PSG board member has no say over the investigation and world courts will over absolutely no say at all over this, FIFA will ban the English FA from participating in any international games and all clubs will be banned from Europe if City does not comply with CAS ruling. There is precedent for this, just google Sion Fifa. City deserved this ban and crying about PSG w3hen a totally different scenario does not change that.
Excellent post Martin.
I see these 2 arguments a lot:
1. “But PSG are the same.” Sure, but City was busted due to their revealing emails not because of obvious overspending, which in the case of sponsors is hard to prove (like most corruption)
2. “City will get it repealed by invoking PSG and their dealings”
Now that’s just childish. Moral equivalence to someone else’s similar crime does not rid you of your sentence even if it can be proven.
Martin you are too sure of yourself and IMO are riding for a fall. When you say that “world courts have no say at all over all this” I laughed at your naivety. You are in effect trying to argue that football is above the law. Events will prove that wrong. I do think City will be banned, possibly for one ,not two seasons, though two is possible And a fine too, which is peanuts to them. I do differ on your Prem ban and points reduction and do not remotely accept your reasons given why(on another thread). We shall see of course. When this goes to law, as it undoubtedly will, realists such as I am , will be in NO doubt that both Fifa and Uefa’s own corrupt organisations will also be put under the spotlight and ramifications will ensue that affect FAR MORE, in world footballs administration, than merely City and the knock on effect for the Prem next season. My long life and vast experience of how law works in civil matters tells me that little is certain, no matter what one might think beforehand, when top lawyers are unleashed.
I hope City are really brought down permanently by this and have little but personal contempt for the way that corrupt club is administered(not the team matters though!)but think that they will in fact find it no worse than a setback and NOT a disaster! They are far fron innocent , of course but are also far from alone in that as both FIFA and UEFA will come to realise in time.
No doubt you now have scope for endless new articles and perhaps we can have fewer Ozil space fillers, as a consequence, he asked hopefully!
Well, up to you to ignore precedent. I simply cannot argue with you if you disagree with the mountain of evidence available online with regards to football clubs attempting to use the civilian courts. Secondly, I also cannot argue with you if you ignore the obligations faced by the PL in regards to FFP and what they must do. Again, there is enough info on the internet for you to check. You act as if this is my personal opinion. It is not, it is based on what I have read online from accredited websites. Up to you to do your own due diligence or rely on your own personal opinion without any fact checking. As for Ozil, I will continue to write about him when appropriate. If he does crap today then I will say so, ifr he does good I will say so. What I will not do is ignore the highest paid player at Arsenal.
Martin, You underestimate and in fact insult me by assuming I too have not done my homework. As a pro bettor I do intense homework and do it constantly and I bet not only on results of matches but all sorts of things , sport andnon sport related either happening or not happening. I am willing to bet you that City escape a PREM POINTS REDUCTION , THOUGH AS I ALREADY SAID, I think they will get a CL ban of either one or two seasons. My difference of opinion with you is based upon what I believe will happen and which you do not. To assume I know less than you is a deliberate insult , MARTIN. I promise you I know far more than most will ever realise about how top corporate admins and civil law work. If you can read what will happen with the certainly you claim, then you really should also fill in your lottery numbers weekly! Where the top lawyers are involved, nothing is CERTAIN and opinions based on past evidence but not exclusively so, are all we have.
My intention was not to insult you Jon, if you feel I did I of course apologise. Let’s agree to disagree on this one.
If you mean the Arsenal way of doing business is buying players for 40 mil that are worth 10 mil two years later, then no! It isn’t a better way of doing business. City have cheated that is totally different, they have played outside the rules, that is not to be compared to at,all. Both teams have been run badly but in different ways.
I accepted that the way Arsenal have done business is why we are in this position and highlighted how Leicester City have done their business so not sure what your comment actually means Reggie. The article was about living within one’s means and I feel I covered that quite clearly.
You did Martin, i just think both clubs are and have been run badly in comparison to each other but in different ways.
Clubs are now opting to bring young players from their academy cos the cost of buying ‘big’ players is too expensive and most have been average or failures…… Chelsea . … Manchester United……arsenal are choosing to do so more now……extent some frustrations till they have a matured football team ……support the rebuilding of arsenal…..and stop abusing the players…….