Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.
Ethically what we have done here is wrong (we get a 16 year old potential star for free and the club who invested in developing him gets nothing) but if we did it within the laws of the game then they can't punish us.
the thing is there's a law system conflict here.
a Fifa directive establishes that youth team players should stay at their "home club" until their club can offer them a contract (of course if, once u reach 18 years old your home club doesn't offer u a contract, then u're free to go wherever u want).
this is a very reasonable rule, but being just a "directive", it isn't supported by a specific sanction (in case of infraction).... this was silly mistake by fifa.... wich costed loads of millions to many italian clubs.
but there's another law system, the EU, wich provides a "code of rules" aimed to protect the family units, wich gives the kid the right to move to another club (in another country) if his parents get a job abroad.
there's an evident conflict between theese rules... and this conflict created an opening that was used by (mostly) english clubs to get promising youngsters (who already got a football education for years by their "home clubs" at their expenses) almost for free.
man utd, chelsea, newcastle, arsenal were sued dozens of times by italian clubs (lazio, roma, atalanta, reggina, empoli, parma) in the last 5 years, but there was nothing they could do, as, obviously, EU laws prevail on fifa rules.
Lillo Foti (reggina chairman) hired guards last year to keep away "wenger's and ferguson's jackals" (his words... he was referring to arsenal and man utd scouts, who find more convenient to steal other clubs youngsters, rather then producing or searching their owns). and apparently so far it worked.
parma chairman tried to get a restraining order... but that must be a personal measure, so it couldn't be used against a general figure (as "english clubs scouts"), so he didn't get it.
and i have to say it's funny how no one here seems to know theese facts.... i guess english media found it more convenient not to write about this.... but i'm sure this situation makes page 1 in every english sport newspaper now "
u see they hate us, they feel threatened by our dominance" and other bullshits like theese.
however even if there isn't a specific infraction in theese cases (because every time british clubs used the EU rules to elude fifa rules and get away with it), u could still be punished for elusion.
basic law concept:
law evasion = u break the rule and, of course, face the consequences.
law elusion = u take advantage of a law conflict to get the same result u would get by breaking the law, without officially breaking it. u're operating within the law, but with a fraudolent intent.... and law systems usually punish this with the same sanction provided for breaking the law.
anyway i don't think they'll go too heavy on u guys.... because fifa is guilty as much as u. fifa was supposed to stop u many years ago... so now they can't just pretend they just noticed theese dirty cheats.
i think they're just trying to send a message:
we have quite enough of this attitude, so stop it now or consequences will follow
at least that's my opinion.
The irony is that Arnesen who's job it was to scout Kakuta and co was tapped up from Tottenham himself and Chelsea had to compensate them £5m!
really wish I had the chance to see him play in at united.His Understanding with cole was amazing. 
