If there’s one thing gambling brand Paddy Power is known for (beyond the obvious) it’s their comedy chops when it comes to making topical adverts around sport — and that’s exactly what they’ve done with a brand-new spoof of Manchester City’s new Netflix documentary.
Man City’s Together: Treble Winners documentary, charting how the Manchester club went on to win the coveted English trio of trophies, was finally released on Tuesday 2 April, and while Blues will no doubt be enjoying a behind-the-scenes look at their greatest season ever, there is a big elephant in the room…
As we’re sure you’re all aware, City still have a whopping total of 115 charges for breaking FFP (Financial Fair Play) rules looming over their heads, with breaches spanning a total of nine years between 2009 and 2018.
With that in mind, even when the Netflix documentary was first announced, pretty much every man and his dog was making the joke that it should be under the ‘true crime’ genre and now Paddy Power have taken that one further by mocking up an alternative trailer for the series as just that. Roll the VT.
It’s giving Making A Murderer meets Dirty Money (both great watches, by the way). We particularly enjoyed the ‘Head of FFP’ bloke and, yes, we obviously noticed the colour of the scarves.
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Having gone viral many times before for similarly humorous spins on footy drama like Rhodri Giggs poking fun at his wife and brother’s affair, José Mourinho making digs at Man United and staying ‘humble’ as ‘The Special One’, this is just one in a long line of spoofs from Paddy Power.
It was only last year that they promoted the start of the 2023/24 campaign by taking the mick out of the increasingly concerning oil money that’s taking over football and the fickle fans that are quick to hop on board when it’s their club benefitting from the buyouts.
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Having a pop at Man City‘s questionable bookkeeping is just another day at the office and they’re by no means the only ones raising a bemused eyebrow – especially when it seems curious to many fans that Everton have already been penalised for their own FFP breaches.
In fact, while FFP isn’t mentioned directly even once in the new six-part docuseries, both Everton and Nottingham Forest have already been deducted points in the Premier League after being found guilty of breaking regulations in much smaller circumstances and over less time.
Even Man United were forced to pay a fine for what they labelled a ‘minor technical breach’ back in July 2023, citing the pandemic and its after-effects as having played a role in their failure to meet regulations.
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As for the Netflix show itself, the only nod towards the lingering questions surrounding the club is an out-of-context moment from manager Pep Guardiola assuring that he would not be going anywhere after he was asked if he would leave the club were they to be found guilty.
Meanwhile, a timeline for when the club and football supporters can expect to see the situation surrounding Man City and FFP remains very unclear as there are a lot of finances to sift through; there also seems to be plenty of debate as to what punishment they will/should receive if found guilty.
Details of huge Manchester City parade through city centre announced
Daisy Jackson
The victorious Manchester City will be taking to the streets in the city centre once again to celebrate their historic four-in-a-row achievement.
Details of this year’s parade have just been announced, travelling from the National Football Museum and along Deansgate.
An open-top bus will carry the team and their winners’ silverware through town on Sunday, marking their unprecedented fourth Premier League victory in a row.
If previous years are anything to go by, thousands of fans will flood to the city centre to celebrate with Manchester City when they hit the streets on 26 May.
This also happens to be the same day as the Great Manchester Run, so Manchester is expected to be extremely busy.
After tens of thousands of runners cross the finish line on Deansgate, the space will be readied for the Manchester City Parade, which will take place from 7.30pm until around 9pm.
There’ll be a number of road closures in place on Sunday for both the race and the parade.
The Blues are the first ever male team since the inception of the Football League in 1888 to win four successive championships.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Congratulations to Manchester City. Being crowned premier league champions once again and for an astonishing fourth year in a row is an incredible achievement by the club and its players, showing once again that Manchester’s world class sporting credentials really are second to none.
“We know how much this means to fans of the club young and old – not just in Manchester but around the globe – and the homecoming parade on Sunday promises to be an unmissable night to remember for fans and players alike as they celebrate this historic title win together.”
A list of road closures over the weekend in connection with the Great Manchester Run is already available online at manchester.gov.uk/roadclosures and will be added to ahead of the weekend with any further road closures deemed necessary in order to facilitate the Manchester City parade.
Pep Guardiola admits he will miss Jürgen Klopp ‘a lot’ as Liverpool boss leaves club after nine years
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confessed he will miss fellow coach and long-time rival Jürgen Klopp as he officially left Liverpool after nearly a decade this weekend.
The German football manager, who ended the Scousers’ 30-year wait for a first-division title and won them two more European cups, departed the club after nine years on Sunday following the final day of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Having been given an emotional send-off by the Anfield faithful and delivering a heartfelt speech to the city he’s come to call “home”, Guardiola was obviously asked his thoughts on his final chapter in his post-match press conference.
While the focus was obviously on winning a record fourth league title in a row, a visibly emotional Pep did go on to admit, “I will miss him a lot”.
🗣️ "I will miss him a lot. Jurgen has been a really important part of my life."
Pep Guardiola CLOSE TO TEARS talking Jurgen Klopp, & not because his farewell overshadowed Man City winning the league. 😉
Clearly moved by the question and by taking in the years they’ve shared on the touchline, the 53-year-old said of his former Premier League and Bundesliga rival: “Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He’s [taken] me to another level as a manager. I think we respect each other incredibly”.
He went on to add, “I have the feeling he’ll be back and I just want to say thank you so much for his words… he knows personally that behind me there a lot of things that this club provides me… he’s helped me with him and he’s been a huge competitor in my life”.
Even speaking prior to the game, Pep was already full of admiration for his opposite number, telling Sky Sports last week that not only will he miss Klopp but going so far as to claim that “football needs him, as well as naming his teams amongst those who he often struggled to unlock.
Safe to say the home crowd gave him a momentous send-off in his final appearance as the Liverpool manager, though he made certain he’ll be back to visit the city and Anfield again in the future.
Liverpool looked like he might be able to keep his side in the title fight right until the last but it ultimately went on to become a two-horse race, with the Blues beating him and Arsenal to the post once again.
Whether you’re behind ‘enemy lines’ here in Manchester or you’re just curious to hear what he said, you can watch Klopp’s farewell speech in full down below.
Regardless of the rivalries, you have to admit, it’s been great to watch the two coaches duke it out for the best part of a decade.
We’re sure Pep isn’t the only one in Manchester that’ll miss Klopp. Whoever you support, he’s been a massive character in English football.