Mancini says City's alleged double contract is not his concern after panel verdict

Pinned summary · as of 04:21

Roberto Mancini, who led Manchester City to the league title in 2012, has waved away allegations of a double contract from his time at the club. Ahead of Italy's Nations League fixture with Türkiye, he told journalists the matter was a problem for City and not for him. His remarks came days after word emerged that an independent panel had ruled against the club on nearly every one of the 115 financial charges the Premier League brought.

What we know

• The Vaultz News and Daily Guide Network both reported that an independent panel upheld the Premier League's case against Manchester City on every charge but one out of 115. No sanction has been decided.
• Fourteen of the charges relate to inaccurate information about what players and managers were paid. Daily Guide Network says those cover the seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, a stretch that takes in Mancini's time in charge.
• Asked about the reported ruling, Mancini said City had not been found guilty, that the issue had been discussed for years and that the alleged double contract did not concern him. "It's their issue, not mine," he said, according to MyJoyOnline.
• City won the league in 2012 with Mancini as manager, the club's first Premier League championship. Daily Guide Network describes it as their first top-flight title in 44 years.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Mancini's claim that City has not been found guilty sits uneasily with the reports of the panel's ruling. The Premier League declined to comment, according to MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian Times, and The Vaultz News says the panel's full decision has not been published.
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  Der Spiegel alleged that City covered a large part of Mancini's pay through a consultancy arrangement with Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira, and that this paid him more than his job as manager, bonuses aside. MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian Times relay the newspaper's description of the arrangement as fictitious. These are the newspaper's allegations, and The Vaultz News adds only that one part of the Premier League case concerns payments to Mancini.
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  City have long denied wrongdoing, according to The Vaultz News. MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian Times quote the club as saying the league's process is not finished, still has major stages to go and is bound by strict confidentiality, and that it has respected due process for eight years expecting an impartial regulator. No second independent report carries these responses.
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  The Vaultz News, citing reports, says City are expected to appeal and that fines and points deductions have been widely discussed as possible punishments. It also gives a breakdown of the 115 charges: 54 on inaccurate financial information, 14 on pay to players and managers, five on UEFA rules, seven on profitability and sustainability rules, and 35 on failing to cooperate. None of this has been confirmed by a second report.
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  Accounts of the timeline differ in detail. The Vaultz News says the inquiry started in 2018 and City were charged in February 2023. MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian Times say the February 2023 charges followed a four-year investigation and that a closed-door hearing began in September 2024 and lasted about 12 weeks.
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  MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian Times report that rival top-flight sides have reportedly been briefed on the ruling and are said to be weighing legal advice about compensation. This has not been confirmed.
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  Daily Guide Network, MyJoyOnline and Ghanaian Times add that Mancini also won the FA Cup with City in 2011; The Vaultz News does not mention it.

Why it matters for Ghana

Premier League football is watched closely by fans in Accra, Kumasi and across Ghana, and any penalty handed to City could change the league picture they follow. The case is also a reminder of how football regulators enforce rules on club spending and payments, a lesson for clubs and administrators everywhere, including in Ghana.