EPL club Manchester City last week announced that MF Frank Lampard "would remain with the club" through the current season's end in May, meaning that he "will not join New York City FC for the start of its inaugural season" in MLS in March as originally planned, according to Andrew Das of the N.Y. TIMES. NYC FC "introduced Lampard as its marquee player in July, and the team has featured him prominently in its kickoff campaign." It "heralds his accomplishments for City regularly on its Twitter feed, and has used his name and image to sell shirts, sponsorships and, most important, more than 11,000 season tickets." The move confirmed that Lampard "was never technically an MLS player, even though New York City FC’s news release announcing his signing said Lampard 'had signed a two-year contract which starts Aug. 1.'" Lampard’s official arrival date in N.Y. "remains unclear." His contract extension "is believed to include a clause that would allow him, at Manchester City’s discretion, to join New York City FC at an earlier date" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/2). In London, Jim White wrote the move is a "huge embarrassment" to MLS, as Lampard "was supposed to be the star attraction at the start of the new season." Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said that he "sympathised with New York season-ticket holders who invested in their club in the belief Lampard was joining on New Year's Day." Pellegrini: "I think the best decision for us, the club and for New York is for him to stay" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/2).
DOWN ON THE FARM? MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Saturday said he "could understand" why NYC FC fans "are unhappy" with the move keeping Lampard with Man City. Garber added, "I do believe [NYC FC] will work hard to build back that trust. ... It’s important to say this: These guys are very committed to MLS and committed to New York." Garber said of NYC FC, "I don’t think it is a farm team for Man City. With this decision, while I can understand people will try to think that, the level of investment that this ownership group is making with the club is massive, and it rivals some of the bigger clubs around the world. This kind of decision is not something in my view that in any way says this is a farm team for Man City. I don’t believe in all my dealings with them that they have led us to believe that’s true" (SI.com, 1/4). SI's Grant Wahl added Garber told him it "probably would have been smarter just to announce in the first place that Lampard would have come in July instead of saying he’d be here for the start of the MLS season” (“FA Cup Match Day,” FS1, 1/4).
DAMAGE ALREADY DONE: In N.Y., Filip Bondy wrote under the header, "Frank Lampard's Extended Stay At Man City Is Major Loss For NYCFC And Slap In The Face Of MLS." British papers "are calling NYCFC 'the feeder club,' and all the fears of local fans here have come true." Any time an NYC FC player "performs too well, presuming a roster spot opens across the pond, he might well be shipped to England." This "understandably has now become a matter of false advertising" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/4). MASHABLE's Sam Laird wrote Manchester City has treated NYC FC "like a junior varsity team -- and MLS like a junior varsity league" (MASHABLE.com, 1/3).
