Roberto Mancini claims the club 'are not guilty' and insists that allegations regarding a secondary contract during his tenure are 'not his problem.'
Mancini, currently in his second spell as manager of the Italian national team, addressed the media ahead of Italy’s Nations League fixture against Turkey. When asked about the reported findings and his personal involvement in the long-running case, the 61-year-old offered a defence of his former employers.
"I don't think they [Manchester City] were found guilty," Mancini said. "It's not an issue that concerns me. It's nothing new because this has been discussed for the last four or five years."
Roberto Mancini: 'It's not my concern, it's Manchester City's'
Mancini’s comments come directly after reporting last week revealing that an independent commission had reached a verdict in the landmark case.
The Premier League charged Manchester City in February 2023 following a five-year investigation. The 115 alleged breaches, spanning a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, centred on accusations that the club failed to provide accurate financial information, disguised owner funding as commercial sponsorship income, breached Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) as well as UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, and failed to cooperate with the league's inquiry.
"Manchester City has not been found guilty, and on the double contract it isn't my concern. It's their issue, not mine," Mancini added.
The Italian is implicated in one of the primary allegations. Appointed in December 2009, the point at which the alleged financial discrepancies began, the Italian spent four years in the Etihad Stadium dugout, famously guiding the club to their first Premier League title in 2012.
However, investigation findings allege that City operated an off-the-books payment structure to supplement his managerial wage.
While officially earning £1.45 million per season from Manchester City, Mancini reportedly signed a secondary contract with Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira, which is also controlled by Man City owner Sheikh Mansour. The arrangement allegedly paid the Italian coach an additional £1.7m (€2.03m) annually for a minimum of four days of consultancy work per year. The Premier League argued that this structure was used to conceal full manager remuneration, artificially lower City's official operating costs, and circumvent financial regulations.
Despite the reporting surrounding the guilty verdict on 114 counts, Manchester City have maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings and are widely expected to launch an appeal once formal sanctions are determined.
In the wake of the news, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued an open letter to supporters, adopting a defiant stance regarding the ongoing legal battle.
"The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club's innocence is just as strong as when this began," Al Mubarak wrote. "While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our Club. We will not give them that opportunity."
With potential penalties ranging from substantial financial fines and points deductions to potential expulsion from the top flight, the eventual resolution of the case will send shockwaves through world football. For Mancini, whose managerial legacy remains tied to City's breakthrough era, the ongoing battle is one he prefers to view from afar.
