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.
Man City's documentary about winning the treble is out on Netflix today.
Paddy Power’s alternative twist on Man City’s new Treble documentary on Netflix.
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.
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
“We’re a city where football runs deep in our DNA, and we’re counting down the days to UEFA Euro 2028.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Sport
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
Danny Jones -
3rd April 2024 
