The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026alas, destined not to be appreciated in my lifetime 000
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026well, ymmv if you were to postulate that statutory regulators are de facto infuenced by politics anyway. ultimately Skunk Anansie said it best. youtu.be/EuOzaWnZZPA?...youtu.beYes It's Fucking PoliticalYouTube video by Skunk Anansie - Topic 010
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026there is some governance provenance to this too. in the first draft of the Football Governance Act there was a duty to consider the trade and policy objectives of govt. but that was removed due to wide (and v reasonable) objections about political independence (inter alia). 140
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026presume some enterprising journos are already on the FOI requests… 0110
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I think, to be clear: what we have seen so far is the worst possible outcome for City, and this published decision goes way further and more forcefully than I would have expected. like—way further. but sports law is weird, and that creates certain things to go at if you’re disaffected by outcomes. 000
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026they sort of explain it a bit—it’s to understand the relationship between the sponsors and the ownership. I think the PL were trying to show that the sponsors were under the control of the ownership in some way (but the panel found it not to matter anyway). 000
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026well, we’ve seen none of the legal structuring of the decision yet, only the summary of the fact finding, so it’s really hard to say, save that (a) they will obviously try regardless, and (b) there is a certain systemic weakness to the sports tribunal system of private justice. 200
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026actually really quite complex. these proceedings are a simple tribunal (not even an arbitration) so there’s no perjury etc (to the best of my knowledge). but in general it is still unlawful to make false representations to try to confer an advantage, so there is significant legal risk. 131
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I’m afraid we have to sell Martin Ødegaard too bsky.app/profile/fabr... 060
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026money. it’s low risk for players like Håland, who hold all the leverage. if he wants to go at any time then he can. not legally, but just by making it hard for the club. 110
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026oh of course. those are their principle assets. no way will they let them go without a fight. 110
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026yeah they will. although the order of magnitude and mendacity here is so much more serious that it’s quite hard to see how anything tethers naturally to what’s gone before. 210
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026this element is also fascinating to me. I think there is a case, depending on what was said and what the contracts say, that players could unilaterally terminate their contracts if the sanction affects their careers. harder for the newer signings maybe (but like all good legal problems: if depends). 231
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026and you have to bear in mind that the Commission is neutral, not affiliated with the PL or the game in general, so they will have no angle bar the proper application of the rules and the law. 100
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026in terms of legal processes generally, no, it’s quite common to have a decision on the merits and then a decision on [punishment/compensation/costs/whatever follows]. I think it only really signals that the case is very, very big, which we knew. 100
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026what I think is really interesting is that, whilst the PL commission can’t make that happen, the IFR has it in its powers if it so wishes. not to say I think that’s likely (and it would cause a diplomatic crisis if there wasn’t already one). but it’s not impossible, legally speaking. 100
Reposted by The Fat RatThe Athletic | Football @theathleticfc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026His supporters say he is a hero, a moral crusader who was brave enough to shine a light upon football's shadowy hinterlands www.nytimes.com/athletic/609...nytimes.comRui Pinto, the whistleblower whose leaks prompted investigations into Man CityHis supporters say he is a hero, a moral crusader who was brave enough to shine a light upon football's shadowy hinterlands 14111
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 26/09/2026his physical profile and the way he moves has definitely changed. hes less lithe and has less spring, but hes still a powerful sprinter. 010
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 26/09/2026it doesn’t get to him, but look at Saka for that Gordon goal. tell me that guy has lost his pace. absolutely rapid. 150
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026yes exactly. in a perfectly reasonable sense “club gets rewarded for winning and then doing sensible things” is fairer than the alternative (cf. the US, where being good sees you punished with reduced access to talent—is that “fair”?). 140
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026that’s how CAS have done things before, and I could see that. for me the real question is whether it is “just” a points deduction or if they are expunged from the league altogether. I think for practical reasons surely the former. 000
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026imo (and not to disagree) that is effect rather than cause. it’s competitive because it has equitable wealth distribution, which means well run middle classes can rise up. the only really confounding factor has been the impact of sovereign wealth. 100
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026good news: there is zero chance of it being “just” a fine. bad news: your suggestion is unworkable (imo) as the PL do not have jurisdiction over the EFL. City have not broken EFL rules so they cannot be punished by the EFL. 200
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026yes, difference is just cultural. I spose it is in a sense “unfair” that Man United are a bigger club than Scunthorpe but that’s also just the culture of the game—there are big clubs and small clubs and they rub shoulders together. the PL is among the best at making it fair *within* the league. 220
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026anyway, wise of Arsenal to keep their powder dry on the forward signing in the knowledge that Håland was about to be on the market. 0360
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This is genuinely quite likely. Chances of success are slim, but procedurally they will throw everything at it. 100
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026I’m afraid we have to sell Myles Lewis-Skelly to Manchester United after all. 3154
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026well for one it’s fraud. I assume some Covid specific offences too. no idea what actual prosecutions have taken place over this stuff, doesn’t strike me as being in the public interest to prosecute now. I wonder if it could affect his visa tho. 000
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026maybe all the red cards were altruistically to give people two metres of clear air 140
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026not been to Mexico yet so can’t contrast. but what I will say of Costa Rica is that it has basically the best nature in the world, and that makes up for it being comparatively y in terms of contributions to global culture. 001
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026that stability, relative to its neighbours, has led to a real absence of cultural footprint. CIA funded civil unrest: sometimes bad, sometimes leads to great literature. 121
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I had genuinely mind holed that one. I do agree. 010
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I understand why we brought in Bruno. but clearly we should have seen it wasn’t clicking and reversed course sooner. 130
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026it’s a humbling. maybe it’s just one of those things—if the sun don’t shine, the sun don’t shine—but I hope we learning something from this. like passing, creating chances, and defending. 360
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026don’t disagree, but still, you need to have a plan when things don’t go your way, and it can’t be Why Not Shit The Bed? 100
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026think you can accept a defeat at Brighton as a thing that happens. they a good side. but there is no way we should look this unable to cope. 5100
The Fat Rat @flannyballs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026hard to understand why they look so much better than us 100
