Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Harry Redknapp has made a big claim about whether Tottenham Hotspur are owed compensation after Manchester City’s guilty verdict on 114 of the 115 charges.
After many years of investigation, an independent Premier League panel has found Manchester City guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
While the verdict is expected to be appealed by the Manchester club, they are now staring at the possibility of major sanctions, including potential points deduction, a transfer ban and even relegation from the top flight.
According to reports, Tottenham are one of several Premier League clubs who could take Man City to court after the guilty verdict, with the Lilywhites exploring compensation for missing out on Champions League revenue over several years.
It has been suggested that Spurs could demand £200m in compensation from the Etihad hierarchy.
Manchester City Tottenham
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Harry Redknapp admits Tottenham could not compete with Man City in the transfer market
The breaches from City occurred between 2009 and 2018, and Harry Redknapp was in charge of Spurs for the first three years in that period.
The former Tottenham manager admitted that Spurs fans have the right to feel cheated after seeing their side being pipped to Champions League qualification by Man City on a couple of occasions.
He also suggested that his side and many other clubs were simply unable to compete with City’s riches in the market at the time.
Redknapp wrote in The Sun: “Manchester City’s guilty verdict handed down on almost all of their Premier League charges is a staggering moment for football. It is a huge task to try and wrap your head around just how far this could reach through the sport — all the people who could be impacted.
“There are so many who will feel they have a claim to have some wrongs righted should City fail in their appeal and I am one of them.
“During the period City’s charges cover, I was in charge of Spurs and locking horns with them for the Champions League spots over a long run.
“In back-to-back seasons, 2010/11 and 2011/12, we finished one place off qualification. The second time around, when City won the title with that Sergio Aguero goal on the final day, we finished fourth but STILL missed out as Chelsea won the Champions League to take our spot.
“In May 2011, a 1-0 loss to Roberto Mancini’s side saw them qualify for Europe’s biggest competition for the first time and ended our dream of getting in there ourselves. Who knows what would have happened if those at the Etihad had been playing by the rules like everyone else? No one can say for sure but Tottenham fans will not be alone in feeling that they were, in some way, cheated across those seasons.
“I was always so proud of how, at Tottenham, we managed to compete by taking a different path to those with unlimited funds. It was not just their incredible spending we had to deal with back then, but also that of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea. We were up there fighting with the best of them but with a very different budget.
“Rather than getting where we were because someone walked into my office with a huge sack of cash, we were working hard on the training ground. I know of so many clubs who were battling with City to sign players but were blown out of the water by the wages they could offer. We, and many other clubs, simply could not compete on that front.”
Redknapp says Spurs and other clubs should not take Man City to court
Despite the injustice done to Tottenham and other clubs, the 79-year-old does not want to retrospectively award trophies to other teams and deduct points from Man City.
Redknapp also warned that if clubs start suing City for their lost revenue, they would be opening a can of worms that would end up doing a lot of damage to the league’s brand.
He added: “Champions League football over those two years could have changed so much for Spurs, but I have no interest in the Premier League going back and deducting points from those seasons or deducting titles from City. This whole process has been one almighty, drawn-out mess, but we are still a long way off from it being finished.
“Just imagine the can of worms we would be opening if the suits were to start going back and altering league tables which have long been finalised. Where do you start and where do you draw the line? Not only are the clubs at the top impacted by titles, Champions League places and huge revenue missed out on — but those at the bottom will all have claims too. Clubs who lost to City over the season and were relegated by the odd few points will start arguing their case if other results or points tallies are retrospectively changed.
“Even though they have won a huge victory, the whole process has been damaging for the Premier League. But opening up all those previous seasons would do incredible damage to a league which is the envy of the world. City obviously need to be punished, to be made an example of, but it makes much more sense for everyone involved if those penalties cover the years to come.”