Ian Wright believes it’s ‘unfair’ Manchester City’s title winners have the uncertainty of the Premier League’s 115 charges for alleged financial irregularity hanging over them.
It’s now 15 months since City – who won a record fourth consecutive title on Sunday – were hit with the charges, which the club strongly deny.
They include a failure to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, a failure to provide accurate details of player and manager payments during the same period, and alleged breaches of Premier League and UEFA financial rules.
35 relate to a failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations into the matter between December 2018 and February 2023.
A date for City’s hearing has yet to be confirmed and with legal challenges and appeals, is likely to drag on for several years yet.
Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions after beating West Ham on Sunday – but they still face 115 charges of alleged financial irregularity
Pep Guardiola won his sixth Premier League title as City boss and the club’s eighth overall
Ian Wright told Match of the Day it’s ‘unfair’ City’s current side have the financial charges hanging over them
After Pep Guardiola’s side beat West Ham 3-1 to wrap up another title, finishing two points ahead of Arsenal, Wright stressed clarity is urgently needed in then matter.
‘I think it’s unfair, with the uncertainty that comes around it,’ he told BBC Match of the Day.
‘It’s unfair on the legacy that these players are building. You watch them that [Netflix] Treble documentary; the drive and determination to try and do what they’ve done is unbelievable.
‘It’s unfair that they’ve got all of this around them. The sooner they get this resolved, the better.’
Alan Shearer concurred that the 115 charges had cast a shadow over the current City crop of players, who weren’t around at the time of the alleged breaches.
‘It’s not their fault. They just have to go out and perform on the football pitch,’ he said.
‘The club will have to answer those charges. Those players have been superb and you can’t take anything away from what those players and what they’ve achieved.’
Shearer agreed, saying the alleged financial breaches aren’t the fault of City’s current players
City are the first club in English football history to win four consecutive top-flight titles and could yet complete a Double if they beat Manchester United in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
It is the sixth title in seven years the club has won under Guardiola and their eighth Premier League title overall.
