🚨💣 BREAKING : ▪️#ManCity will attempt to demonstrate its innocence by asserting that certain sponsorship contracts were partly financed by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than by the Abu Dhabi United Group, the private company owned by Sheikh Mansour. According to this argument, these agreements would therefore not constitute a violation of the rules. ▪️ The "irrefutable evidence" put forth by #ManCity throughout the case with the Premier League consists of bank statements from the government and testimonies presented at the hearing. They show that money was transferred from government accounts to sponsors, who then used these funds to pay @ManCity. ▪️The independent commission determined that Sheikh Mansour was unaware of what it describes as a series of "fictitious" agreements. On appeal, #ManCity is expected to argue that it is implausible for Mansour to have been unaware that nearly £830 million of his own money was being used in this manner. The club is also likely to contest the use of the term "fictitious," arguing that it is not merely a word indicating something suspicious, but a legal term that has been improperly applied in this case. ▪️#ManCity's lawyers are also expected to challenge the time taken by the independent commission to render its verdict. They will argue that, in this type of case, decisions should normally be made within three months after the hearing ends, so that judges maintain an accurate memory of the examined elements. According to City, this delay would render the decision “legally unsafe.” The club will also emphasize that it presented 24 witnesses at the hearing, while the Premier League provided no witnesses confirming the existence of the alleged conspiracy. [via @MikeKeegan_DM] (translated)
