A Manchester City legend claims his former club would have “held their hands up” if they knew there was any “wrongdoing” regarding their FFP situation.
Man City‘s Financial Fair Play case continues to rumble on after they were referred to an independent commission by the Premier League at the start of 2023.
Pep Guardiola‘s side are accused of breaching over 100 of the Premier League’s FFP rules between 2009 and 2018 and face severe consequences if found guilty. Their potential punishments include a huge fine, points deduction, transfer ban, or expulsion to a lower division.
City’s case was finally heard towards the end of 2024 and while it was initially suggested that there could be an outcome in March, an initial verdict, which will be subject to an appeal, is yet to be announced.
The Premier League have recently been warned that it would be a “complete disaster” if Man City’s FFP case drags into next season, but this is looking increasingly likely.
A lot is at stake for either party, but former Man City striker Paul Dickov somewhat naively reckons the club would have “held their hands up” if they knew they were guilty, raising “one” key detail about those in charge at the Etihad.
“I think everybody is waiting on the decision to come out, and have done for ages. The one thing I will say is, I know the club – and they have come out and said this publicly – they seem pretty comfortable with how it’s gone and have been from the start,” Dickov said in an interview with GOAL.
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“They have made everything available that has been asked for. Whether they are guilty or not, I don’t think anybody knows at the minute. The one thing I do know is that the owners are really good people.
“My own personal opinion is that if they felt there was any wrongdoing on the club’s side from the very start, they would have held their hands up. They obviously feel that they have a case to fight, and that is what they are doing.
“In terms of what’s going to happen, we keep hearing different things. There isn’t a week goes by when the decision isn’t different – whether they have won or they’ve lost, the Premier League has won or lost.
“The speculation surrounding it, nobody really knows what’s going to happen.”
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When asked whether the Premier League will be pressured to make an example of Man City, especially given how long this case has dragged, Dickov answered: “I think there is a lot of pressure on the Premier League – probably more than there is on Manchester City.
“The charges, if City do win, it is going to open a whole new can of worms for everybody else.
“The fact it has gone on so long shows you how serious it is and there is obviously a lot of stuff that they have got to sift through in the arguments for and against.
“I think for everybody’s sake, especially Manchester Citys – the fans, the players, other clubs, the Premier League – the quicker they come to a decision now the better because the speculation just seems to get blown out of proportion both ways on a weekly basis.”