Jose Mourinho joked that he will be lucky to be alive when the final verdict on the charges is handed down. Manchester City is delivered
Last month, City were found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The The Premier League confirmed in a statement on September 29 that, following a ruling by the independent commission, City had been found guilty of all but one charge of financial misconduct brought against the club.
Among the breaches were the creation of “bogus” contracts to help inflate income and cut costs by more than £900m over nine years covering the 2009-10 season to the 2017-18 campaign.
City have appealed the decision but, if upheld, could face a penalty that would see them lose their Premier League status. A points deduction relegating the club and ban from the Premier League have been mooted as possible sanctions, while many have called for City to be stripped of the titles they won in the period in question.
Real Madrid boss Mourinho led Manchester United to second place behind City in 2017-18. The Red Devils ended that campaign 19 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side, who left the Etihad Stadium at the end of last season.
Mourinho has already described this runner-up finish as one of his greatest achievements in a historic career.
But with the independent commission making its decision more than three years after the charges against City were laid, Mourinho does not expect to know imminently whether he will be awarded a fourth Premier League title retrospectively.
Asked about the case in an interview with Correre dello SportMourinho said: “I prefer to laugh a little, because I think we will have an end.
“We will have an end. But the two of us (Mourinho and the interviewer), who are close to 60, will have to be lucky enough to be here when the final verdict is given. Because now the sentence will come, and after a year there will be an appeal.”
The City Council upheld his appeal last week.
The club’s statement read: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1 October 2026 the club lodged its full appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.
“The club’s firm position is that, for multiple reasons, the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.
“The club is innocent of the allegations made by the Premier League and there is a large body of irrefutable evidence to support all of its positions in relation to this case.
“We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.”
