Jose Mourinho calls for ‘justice’ over Man City FFP charges and responds to relegation threat

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has given his thoughts on Manchester City’s ongoing battle with the Premier League over their 130 alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play rules.

The hearing into the matter concluded on Friday, although both Man City and the Premier League can appeal the verdict, which could take several months.

Mourinho, who is now manager of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, insisted ‘it is not true’ that he wants to see Pep Guardiola’s side relegated, despite claims to the contrary.

Ahead of Fenerbahce’s Champions League clash against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, Mourinho insisted he wants justice to prevail.

“Pep and I worked together for three years, we know we love each other,” Mourinho said. “It is not true that I want them to be relegated, what is true is that I want justice.

“Small teams can sometimes be penalised by FFP when they exceed their limits by five-to-ten euros. I also suffered due to the limits when I was at Roma. I don’t think this is fair.”

He claimed that the rivalry he and Guardiola have had over the years hasn’t impacted their relationship: “We love each other, he knows it. Words are one thing, feelings are another. All I want is justice, but we have no ill feelings towards each other.”

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Man City could be relegated if found guilty

The Premier League’s allegations against Man City were announced in February 2023, with their alleged rule-breaking claimed to have taken place over 14 years.

City have strongly denied the charges and have been fighting their corner at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre since proceedings got underway on September 16.

If found guilty, the potential punishments range from a fine, a transfer ban, a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League, although it’s still unclear when this would be imposed.

Reports suggest a punishment is most likely to occur at the end of next season.

City were charged with 54 counts of failing to provide accurate financial information for the seasons of 2009/10 to 2017/18, as well as failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments in that same period on 14 occasions.

A further 35 charges were for allegedly failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations between December 2018 to February 2023, while five charges related to not complying with UEFA’s rules on FFP from 2013/14 to 2017/18.

An extra seven charges relate to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules from 2015/16 to 2017/18.

The report adds that the original 115 charges have been extended to a total of 130 after an administration issue.

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