Luis Enrique in a PSG press conference
Luis Enrique raised eyebrows when he expressed hope Manchester City would not be stripped of their titles.
City losing the trophies they won between 2009 and 2018 has been mentioned as one of many possible sanctions after they were found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules.
3Having been found guilty of all financial breaches, City now await the outcome of an appeal hearing and possibly sanctions thereafterCredit: Getty
But the Paris Saint-Germain manager believes the fact City earned silverware through their on-field exploits should not count against them.
What did Luis Enrique say about Manchester City?
"There is a lot of noise around Manchester City and there is often noise around big clubs," Enrique said in the press conference ahead of PSG's visit to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.
"We just have to wait and see what the final decision will be.
"I hope everything works out well for Manchester City because I think what they have done on the pitch has been incredible over the last few years and they certainly deserved to win on the pitch all the trophies they have won.
"Now we have to wait and see what the authorities decide or the judge is going to say.
"The trophies you win on the pitch remain on the pitch. They deserved to win that and I hope they can avoid the sanction. But we have to wait."
However, Enrique's verdict prompted a negative reaction from French media, with journalist Erik Bielderman among those who was left 'a bit disappointed by the very low-profile words'.
Why did Luis Enrique's comments garner controversy?
"Usually Luis Enrique speaks straight, speaks loud and is always meaningful and a bit aggressive with the media," Bielderman said on talkSPORT's Rushden and Baker.
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"We can understand the position of Paris Saint-Germain, which is kind of a sister club to Manchester City, that it could be very harmful to him to say something negative about Manchester City.
"To me, he should answer the question to say, 'I don't know the case and this is something that is between the Premier League'.
3Enrique has brought plenty of success to PSG under their Qatari ownershipCredit: Getty
"But not doing what he did to us, it's a bit harming."
Like City, PSG are state-owned, albeit by Qatar rather than the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
PSG have previously come under scrutiny from UEFA for falling foul of their financial rules, first in 2014 and again in 2022.
However, they have never been punished to the extent City could be, with the French club's sanctions being fines rather than sporting penalties.
Yet Bielderman still believes PSG are not immune from the microscope regarding their own sponsorships.
"We know that the money for Paris Saint-Germain comes from a state owner," Bielderman said.
3PSG have been sponsored by Qatar Airways since 2022Credit: AFP
"But state sponsorship like Qatar Tourism Authority, Ooredoo, a telecommunications company which is not working in the European market, the Qatar Tourism Authority gives £100m a year.
"All that could be a question mark and has been a question mark in all the years with UEFA.
"PSG have had some financial penalties from the European Fair Play organisation and then they had to go on the transfer market to sell players."