Jose Mourinho: Throwback to When Former Manchester United Manager Blasted Manchester City’s Spending

Jose Mourinho: Throwback to When Former Manchester United Manager Blasted Manchester City’s Spending

Martin Moses
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:25 PM
In this article:
English Premier League logo
ENG Premier League
England
UEFA Champions League logo
UEFA UCL
Europe
  • Jose Mourinho once questioned the legitimacy of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules
  • Mourinho made the comments while he was Tottenham Hotspur's boss after Manchester City were banned from the Champions League
  • Manchester City are back in the same scenario after the Premier League charged them with financial breaches

Manchester City are currently dominating the talk of English football after it was established that the Premier League had officially charged them with financial misconduct.

The charges range from refusing to cooperate with investigators to refusing to disclose the full details of players' and managers' remuneration.

Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Financial Fair Play
Manchester City are under investigation for financial breaches. Photo by Matt McNulty - Manchester City.
Source: Getty Images

It is not the first time that the club has rubbed shoulders with authorities. In 2020, the club was suspended by UEFA from the Champions League after it was found guilty of breaching the financial fair play regulations.

They successfully overturned the decision at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) and ended up paying a paltry fine instead. An independent commission will determine this time around the case and the CAS will not be involved.

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ click on "Recommended for you" and enjoy!

After their successful appeal in 2020, many pundits averred that it was just a slap on the wrist for a club to pay the fine despite being found guilty.

Jose Mourinho's verdict

Jose Mourinho was at a loss to explain the decision. The former Manchester United manager could not understand how City had been allowed to get away with their irregularities despite being guilty.

From the current AS Roma manager's viewpoint, if City were guilty, banning them from the Champions League should have been the appropriate action.

"Consistency I like, clarity... I don't like doubts. That is the only thing that disturbs me. My opinion about FFP doesn't change, like my opinion on VAR. When I said a few years ago I like the concept, I like the concept. What I don't like is the interpretation of it, the people with the tools they have at their disposal. And Financial Fair Play is the same thing. When I say it should finish, it is not because I do not agree with the basic principle. It's because I don't agree with the circus," as quoted by BBC Sports.

Whatever the outcome of the current case, the decision is set to divide fans and other stakeholders right down the middle.

How the EPL table would look like

Sports Brief had earlier reported that the 2022/23 Premier League table would witness massive changes would Man City be kicked out of the English top-flight for alleged financial breaches.

City were on Monday, February 6, charged with more than 100 financial breaches committed between 2009 and 2018.

The reigning Premier League champions are in danger of facing possible punishments if they are found guilty of the accusations. The publication reports that the sanctions range from points deduction, transfer bans, and even expulsion from the Premier League.

Authors
Martin Moses photo
Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)
Tags
Jose MourinhoPep Guardiola