Real Madrid coach José Mourinho joked that he may not still be around to see the final verdict in the Premier League's case against Manchester City. An independent commission found City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, detailing how the club arranged "sham" commercial deals to inflate revenues and reduce costs by £900 million ($1.2b billion) between 2009 and 2018.
The verdict came 21 months after the culmination of a 12-week hearing, following an investigative process that dates back to 2019. City have appealed the verdict and say they have "irrefutable evidence" of their innocence. Mourinho, who led Manchester United to second place behind City in 2017-18, said he is not holding his breath for the case to conclude.
"I would rather laugh about it," Mourinho said in an interview with Italian publication Corriere dello Sport. "I think we will eventually get an ending, but we are both in our 60s and 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." He has previously said he may still receive a winners' medal if City are stripped of the prize.
The Premier League said City's appeal to an independent appeal board will remain private and confidential until publication of the outcome is permitted. Fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions are among the options available to the commission. ESPN has reported that a timeframe is in place for City's fate to be resolved by the end of this season, though City could take the case to the High Court in the United Kingdom if the appeal fails and they can prove serious irregularities in the disciplinary process.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing