Football Leaks Scandal

[SirBalon]

The latest round of Football Leaks reports dropped on Friday, accusing both Premier League champions Manchester City and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain of fraud to avoid financial fair play sanctions.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, former UEFA President Michel Platini and even former French President Nicolas Sarkozy were all named in the reports, per Mediapart (h/t sportswriter Jonathan Johnson and Get French Football News):

Football Leaks/Mediapart: PSG’s Qatari owners pumped €1.8bn into the club with the help of both Michel Platini & Gianni Infantino. Their cover prevented PSG from being excluded from all European competition on FFP grounds.

Breaking | Football Leaks headline: Manchester City avoided harsh FFP sanctions thanks in part to Nicolas Sarkozy. More follows.

German outlet Der Spiegel expanded on the reports, publishing a damning article on Infantino. The 48-year-old was named FIFA President in 2016 with the explicit task of cleaning up the organisation, but according to "thousands of internal memos" he has allegedly done the exact opposite:

"If Infantino has to decide whether something is good for him and his power, or good for FIFA and its reputation, he'll opt for power and hazard the consequences of the damage it might do to FIFA. That is according to someone who has known Infantino long enough to be so scared of him to say: 'Don't quote me by name.' Infantino only sees things in black and white: 'You're either his friend or his enemy.' Anyone who doesn't unconditionally do as he says has to go."

The report goes on to detail how he allegedly "cut secret deals" with City and PSG in 2014 while he was still UEFA's general secretary. Those deals reportedly allowed the clubs to circumvent financial fair play regulations and play European football.

More details on those deals were revealed in a separate Der Spiegelreport. Infantino allegedly went out of his way to ensure PSG and City avoided major punishment, proposing "compromises" and even "supplying them with confidential materials."

The report outlines how Infantino tried to go against the Club Financial Control Body, eventually succeeding with the help of Platini.

Some of the tactics used reportedly included greatly inflated sponsorship deals:

Breaking | Football Leaks headline: Manchester City’s owners allegedly injected €2.7bn into the club over the last 7 years through its shareholders & over-valued sponsorship contracts which infringe FFP regulations.

As shared by Get French Football News, Sarkozy played a role in the acquisition of PSG, as he allegedly told Platini to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup:

Football Leaks headline: Nicolas Sarkozy told Emir of Qatar Tamim Al-Thani in a meeting in 2010 that if he bought PSG & launched a sports channel in France (BeIN Sports), that he would instruct Michel Platini to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup

Rumours Qatar bought the World Cup have been rife for years, and in 2017 courts were told a FIFA official took bribes from the nation, per the Guardian's Oliver Laughland.

Per Johnson both PSG and City have denied the allegations. 

Get French Football News released more from the reports throughout the evening:

Football Leaks Headline: In 2014, the UEFA Council asked Manchester City to come up with their own punishment that they would be happy with taking after they infringed upon FFP regulations following a €233m loss made between 2011 and 2013, according to Mediapart. More follows.

Football Leaks claim that a Manchester City executive sent an email following the death of an FFP investigator as follows: "One has fallen, there are six to go." https://t.co/3H6pQJljBo

Der Spiegel's reporting also included a section on the long-rumoured European superleague, stating several elite clubs have already been hard at work on such a competition:

A coalition that includes FC Bayern Munich spent months working on plans to create a private league of elite teams behind the backs of associations and other teams. #footballleaks #dirtydeals https://t.co/cXf1wXgqMP

Football Leaks and the European Investigative Collaborations―a network of outlets that includes Der Spiegel, Mediapart and others―have previously reported on some of the sport's top players and managers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Jose Mourinho, per Bleacher Report's Richard Fitzpatrick.  

Der Spiegel have announced more reports will be published in the coming weeks. Among those reports will be the name of a "multiple Champions League winner" who tested positive for doping and an explanation of how giant Premier League clubs avoid taxes.

[Kowabunga]

2 hours ago, SirBalon said:

The latest round of Football Leaks reports dropped on Friday, accusing both Premier League champions Manchester City and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain of fraud to avoid financial fair play sanctions.

As nothing is expected to happen to the involved parties my interest in this circus is relatively mild. It's not like we didn't know already...

[SirBalon]

5 hours ago, Kowabunga said:

As nothing is expected to happen to the involved parties my interest in this circus is relatively mild. It's not like we didn't know already...

I think this is a step too far and it'll be interesting to see how this all pans out now.  Everyone already knew both PSG and City have been helped to hide how they manage their finances by the football authorities... Especially Paris Saint-Germain.  But now it's out in the open and here we have criminal offences.

[Honey Honey]

It's really quite tiring how corrupt these organisations are. 

[God is Haaland]

https://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fifa-gianni-infantino-nahm-persoenlich-einfluss-auf-aufgeweichten-ethik-code-a-1236469.html

[SirBalon]

8 minutes ago, BartraPique1932 said:

https://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/fifa-gianni-infantino-nahm-persoenlich-einfluss-auf-aufgeweichten-ethik-code-a-1236469.html

Yeah, my thread starting post refers to Der Spiegel’s extensive article amongst other leading investigative news portals around Europe. Infact there’s an even more revealing one that will be published in Spain’s El Confidencial this coming week and it hasn’t been released just yet because it’s had to go through lawful validation... It must be really big for that!

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Yeah, my thread starting post refers to Der Spiegel’s extensive article amongst other leading investigative news portals around Europe. Infact there’s an even more revealing one that will be published in Spain’s El Confidencial this coming week and it hasn’t been released just yet because it’s had to go through lawful validation... It must be really big for that!

is that the 'multiple Champions League winner' testing positive in doping tests?

[SirBalon]

5 minutes ago, Stan said:

is that the 'multiple Champions League winner' testing positive in doping tests?

Yep... Who is it?

Apparently El Confidencial have handed the document to Der Spiegel in the event that the Spanish authorities don’t allow the newspaper to publish this because Spain has stringent laws on proof before publication. 

[Stan]

3 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

Yep... Who is it?

Apparently El Confidencial have handed the document to Der Spiegel in the event that the Spanish authorities don’t allow the newspaper to publish this because Spain has stringent laws on proof before publication. 

Ramos or Ronaldo.

[SirBalon]

4 minutes ago, Stan said:

Ramos or Ronaldo.

It could even be Messi. There are a number of players it could be. But what’s for sure is that for the football authorities to have hidden it then it’s obviously a status symbol that has been used extensively to promote football in all of its diverse marketings of the sport.

There’s also the report on the scandal of tax evasion in the Premier League that’s really gonna rock the boat to be released. 

[God is Haaland]

6 minutes ago, Stan said:

Ramos or Ronaldo.

[Stan]

Just now, SirBalon said:

It could even be Messi. There are a number of players it could be. But what’s for sure is that for the football authorities to have hidden it then it’s obviously a status symbol that has been ised extensively to promote football in all of its diverse marketings of the sport.

There’s also the report on the scandal of tax evasion in the Premier League that’s really gonna rock the boat to be released. 

have they stated a time-frame of when they tested positive?

[Carnivore Chris]

2 hours ago, Marc said:

Just a matter of time. Hope it happens, sooner the better.

The king of Europe, Real Madrid would win this every year.

Are you joking? They can barely compete for the league in their country, nevermind a European super league.

[Stan]

Just now, BartraPique1932 said:

[Cicero]

Dani Alves me thinks 

[SirBalon]

37 minutes ago, BartraPique1932 said:

It could be him as it could be any number of names although as far as I'm concerned that would affect Real Madrid more than any major football status symbol.  For this document to have been held back considering the damning news that's already been released on corruption in this leak, for me the name is extremely big and that reduces it down to very very few names... Gareth Bale is nowhere near big enough on a world scale.

[SirBalon]

As much as I would hate it to be him, it almost amuses me to see how most are dismissing Lionel Messi where this doping document leak is concerned. I doubt it's him but how many times has he been injured and how many games has he played in his 15 year period at the top of the game?

As far as I'm aware and my memory recollects, he's only had one muscle injury in 15 years which kept him out for 3 months and on his return it took him almost a whole season's worth of football to return to form with many people during that period (myself included) were assuming his time was up.  He has been injured before like presently with a broken arm and once against Atlético Madrid 8 years ago where Ujfalusi decided to make a criminal tackle.  

One fatigue injury in 15 years (because fatigue is the main element which causes muscle injuries)?

He isn't the only case with a lack of these types of injuries during his career.  Cristiano Ronaldo has only been recorded with two (one more than Messi) and Thierry Henry with one right at the top end.

[SirBalon]

47 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Dani Alves me thinks 

It could be him and his extreme physical capacity with a suspicious sudden downfall for a period is something to look at.  His name is bigger than Gareth Bale on the worldwide scale and one to be considered for sure.

[Spike]

This is nothing new. Just a different time frame. Corruption, sports, and drug use are kindred spirits. From French officials rigging the '98 draws, Argentine military juntas pressuring officials and the team itself (for the players to take amphetamines no less!).

I feel rather emotionally removed from the sport really,  I do enjoy the sport but everything else intangible is lost.

[God is Haaland]

Mediapart: Manchester City is the biggest case of financial doping in the history of football. Abu Dhabi brought a staggering €2.7 billion to the club in seven years. Even more than the 1.8 billion injected by Qatar into the PSG

[The Artful Dodger]

1 hour ago, SirBalon said:

The main scandal isn't even the European Super League here (not right now anyway) and more the perversion of the rules where certain clubs have been permitted to create something out of nothing by breaking every permissible method.

But on the Euro Super League issue, I think the elite clubs want to break away from UEFA with this competition and control the whole competition in every way.  That is obviously exclusive instead of inclusive which would hurt football massively.

We already knew this though. Manchester City's scandalous sponsorship deal of their own fucking stadium was allowed, it's corrupt to the core. 

[Honey Honey]

Those Eastern European teams who were punished really should sue UEFA.

[True Blue]

Annnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddddd nothing will happen

[CaaC (John)+]

Man City: Uefa 'deceived' over FFP regulations, claims Der Spiegel

52 minutes ago | Man City

Manchester City and their sponsors manipulated contracts to circumvent Uefa's Financial Fair Play regulations, according to Der Spiegel.

The German news magazine claims it has seen internal documents which show that City officials discussed how to wipe out a £9.9m shortfall in 2013.

Der Spiegel also reports that City owner Sheikh Mansour provided monetary supplements to existing deals with sponsors in Abu Dhabi, where he is part of the royal family, to invest more money into the club.

City says they will not be commenting on the claims, which come after initial allegations about the club and FFP were published by the magazine on Friday.

La Liga president Javier Tebas made a similar claim last year, with European football's governing body Uefa responding by saying it was not investigating City, who have won the Premier League three times since Sheikh Mansour took over in 2008.

Uefa found City had breached FFP rules in 2014 and the two parties reached a settlement, with City paying a £49m fine - £32m of which was suspended - while their Champions League squad was reduced for 2014-15.

Der Spiegel calls the settlements "weak" and claims Uefa "wasn't even entirely aware of the degree to which it had been deceived".

Italian manager Roberto Mancini was sacked in 2013, just after City had failed to defend their first Premier League title and lost the FA Cup final.

Der Spiegel reports that, in an internal email, City's chief financial officer Jorge Chumillas wrote: "We will have a shortfall of £9.9m in order to comply with Uefa FFP this season. The deficit is due to RM termination. I think that the only solution left would be an additional amount of AD sponsorship revenues that covers this gap."

The email also allegedly presented details of the contracts that would be adjusted, with Der Spiegel claiming that Etihad, Aabar and the Abu Dhabi tourism authority all paid more than had been agreed at the beginning of 2012-13.

Der Spiegel quoted another internal email, sent by club executive Simon Pearce in April 2010, regarding an annual £15m deal with investment company Aabar.

It read: "As we discussed, the annual direct obligation for Aabar is £3million. The remaining £12m will come from alternative sources provided by His Highness."

City representatives have said the Abu Dhabi-based companies are independent sponsors.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46101803

[Cicero]

Whole other thread on it mate.