Roberto Mancini has publicly refused to accept any share of Manchester City’s guilty verdict, disputing the finding itself and describing the case as the club’s concern rather than his own.
The Italy head coach addressed the ruling at his pre-match press conference before the Nations League trip to Turkey, in comments carried by Football Italia and originally reported by CalcioMercato.
“I don’t think Manchester City were found guilty, quite the opposite,” Mancini said. “It’s not a problem that concerns me, and it isn’t anything new. Manchester City are not guilty, and on the double contract it isn’t my problem, theirs if anything.”
The verdict and what comes next
An independent commission has found City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League in February 2023, according to reporting from The Athletic that has since been carried more widely. The charges span the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons and cover failure to submit accurate financial information, undisclosed payments to players and coaches, breaches of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules and violations of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations.
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No sanction has yet been announced. The Premier League has not officially published the ruling, and City intend to appeal. Possible outcomes range from a fine to a substantial points deduction or, at the extreme, relegation.
Mancini’s four years fall inside the investigation period
Mancini managed City from December 2009 until his dismissal on 13 May 2013, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and, a year later, the club’s first league title in 44 years. Every match of that spell falls inside the period examined by the commission.
The charge sheet includes a category dedicated to inaccurate reporting of manager and player remuneration. Among the specific arrangements scrutinised is a second contract Mancini is alleged to have held with Al Jazira, an Abu Dhabi club under the same ownership as Manchester City, worth €2.03m a year for a minimum of four days’ consultancy work. Investigators say the structure was designed to keep part of his pay outside the club’s declared accounts.
Italy match on Monday
Mancini returned to the Italy job on 28 July 2026 for a second spell, replacing Gennaro Gattuso after Italy again failed to qualify for the World Cup. His Turkey fixture in the Nations League follows on Monday.
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