Vincent Kompany was not going to be drawn into it.
Asked at a Bayern Munich press conference on Friday about the independent commission that had just found Manchester City guilty of nearly all 115 Premier League financial charges, the former City captain kept his answer short and moved the subject on to his next game.
“I played 11 years for the club. I’ve loved all of the years I played for the club and everything we achieved and done on the pitch, that’s something I’m really proud of,” Kompany told reporters ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga trip to Augsburg.
He drew the line there.
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“Everything else, as a player you’re not a part of that,” the 40-year-old added.
Kompany went on to say that as Bayern head coach he was focused on the fixtures in front of him, not on matters at a club he left in 2019.
115 charges, nine seasons, ‘sham’ contracts
The ruling landed on 29 September. The Premier League’s independent commission found City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the league’s financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, and guilty of the majority of charges relating to the club’s failure to co-operate with the investigation.
The commission said the club had arranged “‘sham’ contracts” to inflate its revenues by more than £900m, had filed misstated accounts and had “clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules.” Sanctions will be decided at a separate hearing, with no timetable published.
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City were given until Friday 2 October to lodge an appeal. The club said in a statement it was “disappointed and surprised,” proclaimed its innocence and said it would be “relentless” in pursuing one.
Three Kompany titles inside the window
Kompany is one of the most decorated figures from the Sheikh Mansour era at the Etihad. He joined from Hamburg in 2008, captained the side for most of his time there and left as a player in 2019 with four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.
Three of those league trophies, in 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2017-18, sit inside the nine-season window the commission has now ruled on.
Kompany is in his third season as Bayern Munich head coach. Bayern play Augsburg at the WWK Arena on Saturday.
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