Isacc Chris Peacock 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇾🇪

@henrywinter Team suspected of spying on training sessions - EFL conducts an investigation within a week and kicks the team out of a competition immediately 115 financial charges - PL will get back to you on that in a few years

Southampton kicked out of Championship play-off final for spying. Correct decision, especially as it transpires they spied on three clubs in total. This is about more than a bloke standing behind a tree with an iPhone. It’s about how seriously the game should take cheating. EFL independent disciplinary commission have struck a blow for fair play, for integrity, for the need for respect between clubs, for coaches to have an expectation of privacy in training. 25% of goals scored in the Championship this season were from set-pieces. Clubs practised them. Understandably, coaches don’t want their plans revealed. EFL sending a strong message with this punishment.  Spygate 2 different from Spygate 1. Rules tightened and punishments introduced since Leeds United’s offence. Appeals, of course. It’s tough for Southampton fans to be denied the trip to Wembley and the chance of a return to the Premier League. It’s particularly tough that many have forked out for tickets, travel and accommodation. Their frustration and anger should be directed at their club. Southampton should recompense fans. It’s not the fans’ fault.  The stupidity in all this is that Southampton would probably have beaten Boro anyway. Better team, stronger bench. But this is so damning… “Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match,” says EFL. “The admitted breaches concern fixtures against Oxford United in December 2025, Ipswich Town in April 2026 and Middlesbrough in May 2026.” So the punishment is proportionate. It should act as a deterrent. Honesty matters.

@themagic_tophat @Sarcastic__kid Already pushing! It’s taking the absolute piss how they’ve not announced a decision either way

@Sarcastic__kid Did a post on it recently. Unless City are holding up the process with an appeal on liability… then it has to come in June. It’s already pushing dereliction of duty territory.

𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 - 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱? 🪦 It’s not about the cheating. Sure, they smuggled hundreds upon hundreds of millions of owner funding into the club, disguised as sponsor revenue (as well as paying staff and overheads off-book) gaining a huge illicit advantage that meant they could outspend all competition. Yes, it’s what enabled them to cheat their way to all that tainted silverware and fully corrupt the integrity of the league. But you know what? If the League earnestly believed they could rein in Man City with regular sanctions, I think they would do. Hell, if Man City had plead out at the start, they might have got away with a mere relegation. But it’s about how they responded to getting caught that means these owners won’t be permitted to remain in the League. After the initial Der Speigel leak, Uefa went for them, at pace. Man City refused to cooperate or share evidence. Uefa sanctioned them. At CAS, Uefa shat the bed and Man City were let off. But shortly after that, Der Speigel leaked more emails which demonstrated Club officials and senior business leaders had lied - committed perjury - to get Man City off. They were caught with their pants down; their shame out there for everyone to see. No ambiguity. No missing context. Clear as day. They cheated and lied about it. Yet when the Premier League sought to investigate, again, Man City refused to comply. So the League took them to arbitration to force them. Man City lost and yet they still refused to comply. Instead, they took the matter to the High Court and Court of Appeal… and lost twice again. Only then did they comply (whether they’d tried to sabotage the original evidence by then, who knows - I’d put nothing past them). Throughout, Man City have demonstrated a total preparedness to corrupt the integrity of the competitions they are in and a refusal to accept the authority of the leagues to protect that integrity. Instead, they sought to conduct highly expensive lawfare to evade justice. You cannot allow such a powerful, malign actor to be part of your collective. They’re simply too dangerous. You just have to expel them. That’s why I have suspected the Independent Commission will recommend expulsion and sufficient clubs would vote for it. What could save them? A sacrifice. A fall guy. Someone that can take all the blame and walk away. The thing is, there are very few people who this could credibly be. Based on the leaked emails, it would have to be the entire executive for sure as well as Simon Pearce. But also, one of Khaldoon or Mansour. Given Khaldoon’s been put front and centre with the media for dealings with world leaders lately… and Mansour has basically been hidden away, with hit pieces out connecting him to the genocide in Sudan… I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe Mansour would be the one taking the bullet. Take the fines, compensation claims, stripped titles, and relegation on the chin and agree to sell the club to prevent expulsion. One or the other it must be. And hopefully, this summer, not next.

@johncrossmirror No one cares ginge

Why I think Pep Guardiola is the greatest of the Premier League era - and what drives him mirror.co.uk/sport/football…

@sportingintel This should start off by saying firstly he’s a cheating bastard that’s helped the narrative that he’s an absolute genius ….

I’ve said a lot about Pep Guardiola in the past 24 hours and this thread will be a bookend. First and foremost he’s been a genius coach who, inspired by Cryuff, has revolutionised football at all levels in the past two decades. 1/n

@sportingintel @barneyronay Multiple failed drug tests Multiple managerial contracts whilst at city Multiple charges for cheating Multiple seasons at Barcelona with “favorable” referees Endless spending at multiple clubs But yeah against all odds he’s somehow managed to be successful

@barneyronay Tests plural. Financial charges: not mentioned in BBC and other coverage. The guy is a genius as I’ve stated multiple times. Has changed football at all levels in so many ways. But let’s balance his legacy?

If anyone sees a Pep hagiography piece about him leaving City that mentions either his drug test failures as a player and / or his spending as a City manager related to serial punishments for financial breaches, pls let me know. Genius yep. Flawed, yep.

@sportingintel @grok Co pilot has the answer all laid out for you buddy

@grok Can you detail all the times Manchester City have been sanctioned for cheating or financial corruption since 2014, and the punishments handed out and how any of these have subsequently been mitigated or not?

@lukestanley03 They said he’d stay when #115 charges were proven…….

They said he’d struggle in English football. He won the league with 100 points. They said he couldn’t win it back to back. He won the Domestic Quadruple. They said he’d never win the European Cup, he’d never win 3 leagues in a row and he’d definitely never win the Treble. He did all three in one season. He then did the unthinkable and won 4 leagues in a row. The greatest manager of all time.

@henrywinter Is that all Henry? Me wonders if it was a certain team in red who played yesterday if you would have been so matter of fact.

That’s a red. Studs up by Havertz. Serious foul play. Yellow given, and confirmed by VAR. Lucky boy. #AFC #ARSBUR

@Scott_Pert @netflix The music is superb. Though it was back in The Hac!

Legends on @netflix is SUPERB Nostalgia! ❤️

@LuxuryWatchGuy1 Shitshow

No nickname has stuck yet for the Rolex Anniversary Oyster Perpetual What would you call it?

@Carra23 Wirtz $500k per week & absolutely pony.

Not a full u-turn but credit where it’s due to Casemiro for looking after himself properly, while playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world on 350k a week🤯 I’ll await your full u-turn on support for Infantino & his World Cup ticket prices 😅

@henrywinter Or the #115 charges. Thats the biggest stain on the game without doubt.

The outrage about Spygate is understandable. If proven, it’s cheating. It’s seeking to gain a sporting advantage over an opponent. Let’s hope this ire is also now focused on other varieties of cheating in football, namely the amount of deceit that can stain games... 1/2

@Maddu_550 34

“90% of people will fail the simple math test are you the 1%??

@johnaokane74 💯 agree as Fergie once said “ keep your mouth ….. firmly shut”

Erm why would Carrick want to get rid of Woodgate ffs..🤷🏾😵‍💫 Stick to the Overlap fella 😉

@Scott_Pert Fashion brand ??? A new line of balaclavas😂

For the last two years I’ve been working from home mostly so I could be as blokey and as a disgusting a creature to walk the Earth when it came to bodily gas…. Now I’m in the office permanently working for a fashion brand where holding in farts is the toughest part of my day….I even go out at lunch just to release the pressure as I walk down the high street where the noise of shoppers act as a decoy 🤣🤣 First World Problems.

@lukestanley03 Buddy all funded by serial cheating. Can’t buy players & then selling without serial chatting & cooking the books. Denial isn’t just a river that runs thru Egypt…

Arsenal’s net spend since Pep joined City is nearly £1B. City’s is £600M. The “we cannot compete” gimmick is in full flow though. 👍🏻

@Scott_Pert Add Tartan paint to the list

When I started my career in Procurement I was told by my Boss at Barratt Homes to order the following: • Left Handed Screwdriver • Skyhooks • A bubble for a level I fell for it, but what made it hilarious was the kid I was ordering it from fell for it as well….🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@Scott_Pert They didn’t but had to go thru due process & he filed a claim separately which they strenuously rebutted

The ONLY way I’d believe Chirayu Rana was kept as a Sex Slave at JP Morgan by Lorna Hajdini, is if it turned out she had some weird fetish for Woody in Toy Story dolls and the cunt reminded her of him… Other than that how did HR take it seriously? 🤣

@LuxuryWatchGuy1 @BillionMagazine Are you planning to sell it At auction ?

Twitter is a crazy place Someone here saw my tweet about F1 and came to the store to meet Three days later and he just sold me one of the craziest Pateks money can buy..the grail of grails..Sky Moon Tourbillon 🌕

@utdmax31 Absolute bollocks can think of 10 off the top of my head

Only 3 players in the history of football played for this two clubs. Guess the player 👀