Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he is confident his club will prove its innocence despite widespread reports it has been found guilty of nearly all of the 115 alleged breaches of the Premier
League's financial rules.
The club was initially charged in 2023 with 115 breaches of the league's financial rules after a four-year investigation that began in 2018.
After a prolonged investigation, reports on Friday, Sept. 25 claimed that City had been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges. The club is reportedly planning to appeal, with any number of potential punishments on the table, including fines, points deductions, the stripping of titles or even relegation.
But in a statement released on Saturday, Sept. 26, Al Mubarak was defiant in the face of the reports.
"Following Friday’s media reporting, many of you will have spent your evening answering questions and responding to messages from friends, family and colleagues. So have I. Here’s what I said to my family: 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," he said.
"There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position. But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies."
He added: "While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that opportunity."
Rodri: 'I trust the club'
Longtime Manchester City midfielder Rodri was asked about the charges at a press conference on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Spain international, who moved to Barcelona in the summer, said that he trusted his old club would be found innocent.
“We experienced a very similar situation in 2020, the judicial process was similar, although with different accusers, that’s the only thing that has changed,” Rodri said. “The club always communicated calm, saying they had done nothing (wrong) and would be found innocent.
“We trusted the club and even after being found guilty at first, they were eventually ruled innocent. So hopefully there will be justice, whatever happens, but I trust in the impunity of the club. They told us (players) to be relaxed, as they had done everything correctly.”
In February 2020, UEFA banned City from European competitions for two years after being found guilty of overstating the club's revenue. But that punishment was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man City chairman reiterates club's innocence in Premier League charges
