Louis van Gaal lifted the FA Cup at Wembley on 21 May 2016. Two days later Manchester United fired him.
Ten years on, the Dutchman is pointing at Manchester City. An independent commission has ruled City broke Premier League financial rules on 114 of the 115 charges they faced across the seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, with the club accused of disguising owner funding as sponsorship income and understating costs.
Van Gaal told The Athletic in a written interview, reported by Onefootball, that the Champions League place he lost to that City side had set his dismissal in motion.
“For me, at the time, missing out on the Champions League in 2016 was probably the deciding factor in my dismissal from Manchester United. And all the consequences and suffering this entailed.”
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+30 against +14
United and City both finished the 2015-16 Premier League season on 66 points. Fourth place, and the final Champions League spot, went to City on goal difference. City’s +30 beat United’s +14 by 16 goals, enough for Manuel Pellegrini’s side to pip Van Gaal’s into Europe’s top competition. United dropped to fifth and the Europa League.
Van Gaal still had an FA Cup to show for the campaign, a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Wembley that remained his only major trophy at Old Trafford. The sacking was confirmed on 23 May 2016, with Jose Mourinho installed the following week. The Dutchman has long argued United’s executive had already agreed terms with Mourinho before the Wembley final.
No way to turn back the clock
Van Gaal said the City ruling changes nothing for him personally.
“I cannot turn back history now. Not even the English Football Association can do that.”
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Asked what punishment City should face, he was pointedly non-committal.
“Ultimately, that will have to be decided by the judge.”
The journalistic calls to pursue the matter further have been louder than Van Gaal’s own. Writing for Football365, Sjoerd Mossou urged Van Gaal to “sue them into oblivion“, arguing the former United manager “deserves vindication” if a rival’s rule-breaking cost him his job.
Sanctions still to come
The commission has published the breaches, not the punishment. Sanctions, which can run from fines to points deductions to expulsion from the Premier League, will be set by the same independent panel that handed down the verdict. City have said they are “disappointed and surprised” by the ruling, maintain they are innocent of the accusations, and intend to appeal.
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