Jose Mourinho spent his two seasons at Manchester United chasing a Manchester City team he could never catch. Asked about the Premier League’s guilty verdict against that same club, he answered with the dark comedy of a man who has already done the math on the appeals process.
“I would rather laugh about it,” Mourinho told Corriere dello Sport.
“I think we will eventually get an ending, but we’ll need to be lucky enough to still be around when the final verdict arrives.”
“There will be a verdict, then appeals, then more appeals.”
Read also: Michael Olise sends clear message to Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City amid transfer interest
Mourinho predicted he and Guardiola would both be in their 80s by the time the case truly concludes. The 63-year-old finished second behind Guardiola’s Centurions in 2017-18, with City collecting 100 points to United’s 81, a 19-point gap that remains the biggest between the top two in Premier League history.
Mourinho’s ‘150 lawsuits’ jab at Guardiola
Mourinho has not hidden his view of how City collected those titles. After Guardiola held up six fingers to count his Premier League trophies at the Etihad, the Portuguese fired back.
“He won six trophies and I won three, but I won fairly and cleanly. I don’t want to win by dealing with 150 lawsuits.”
He has also kept the door open on a retrospective medal, telling the Italian paper the title ledger could still be rewritten.
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo already suspended as Portugal considers further punishment
“I think we still have a chance to win that league because maybe they punish Man City with points and maybe we win that league. Then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.”
Appeal lodged, sanctions still pending
The independent commission’s verdict landed in late September. The Premier League confirmed City had been found guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to alleged financial breaches between 2009-10 and 2017-18, including the use of what the league called “sham” sponsorship contracts to inflate revenue by more than £900m. The club has denied all wrongdoing.
If the appeal fails, City face anything from a fine to points deductions heavy enough to force relegation, up to outright expulsion from the Premier League. The sanctions ruling will be handled by the same commission at a separate, private hearing.
City lodged their appeal on 1 October and the case now goes to a private Appeal Board. No date has been set for either hearing, and no punishment has been decided.
Read also: Verstappen and Hadjar on F1 cooling vest: “It should be banned”
Read also: Harry Kane just signed on at Bayern. Dion Dublin wants United to raid them anyway
