The Premier League have confirmed that they are to investigate Crystal Palace after receiving an official complaint from Cardiff City.
The allegations by the South Wales club centre around the 3-0 win for Palace in Cardiff courtesy of two Jason Puncheon goals and one from Joe Ledley.
Full details of the complaint have yet to emerge but the claim is that Palace were made aware of the Cardiff City starting line up 24 hours before kick off.
In response to the initial allegations manager Tony Pulis explained that it would not have made any difference to him and his team had anyone received such information as he starts working with his team the Monday before a game.
Pulis went on to explain that in the build up to a game he is contacted by all sorts of media and agents who are clamouring for the latest team news from both Palace and the respective opponents but it is not something that he takes any notice of.
News coming out of Cardiff City suggest that they have sacked one employee and disciplined another for the leak. However, the claims are such that former Cardiff City employee Iain Moody was involved in some capacity, something that he and Palace chairman Steve Parish have denied.
The Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan sacked Iain Moody from his position at the club which ultimately led to the demise of Malky Mackay’s tenure as manager at the club and has arguably led to them languishing in the bottom three.
The guys at View From The Ninian had this to say from a Cardiff perspective:
When the initial reports broke of a leak within the camp, most Cardiff fans put it down to sour grapes from a losing side. But as the week has gone on, the story has gained credence. There’s been talk of dossiers of evidence and a singular text message that has pinned the blame on one man. That person has now been sacked and his name removed from the official website. It would seem that this is true and Cardiff City are right to lodge an official complaint.There’s no doubt these incidents happen more often than us fans hear about but knowing about it leaves a bad taste. And the fact that Iain Moody, a man perceived as being unfairly treated by Vincent Tan, has been dragged into this affair is interesting. His sacking sparked the beginning of the end for Malky Mackay and though many fans believed he was unfairly treated, his involvement in this is a black mark against his name.
I don’t know what will come from this. It’s nearly unprecedented. Cardiff were absolutely right to lodge an official complaint and it’s going to be interesting to see what comes of the Premier League investigation. Even if Palace haven’t broken any rules, they’ve, excuse the sentiment, gone against the ethics of football (according to Vincent Tan). Whether that’s worthy of a fine, I don’t know.
What Palace would have achieved if indeed they knew the Cardiff line up is anyone’s guess. These days it is not a secret with all the media sources available. There was no doubting that the home sides line up would be attacking considering the nature of the game and the league positions of both clubs.
Such a cloud hanging over the club in what has been a fantastic period since Pulis has taken over as manager leaves a slight sour taste in the mouth. Especially when Premier League safety is in touching distance.
Hopefully the Premier League will find that this is nothing more than yet another internal crisis at a club that has put it’s fans through the mill this season.
