Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner has called for a rapid resolution to the Manchester City case, warning that the affair has damaged the Premier League’s global reputation and could undermine trust in the competition. His comments came after City were found guilty by an independent commission of arranging “sham contracts”, with the club having artificially inflated its income by more than £900m.
City have appealed against last week’s judgment, which found they broke financial rules across a nine-year period. If the appeal fails, the panel could impose a range of sporting sanctions, including expulsion from the Premier League and point deductions. City deny wrongdoing and formally lodged their appeal last Thursday, saying the opinion contains “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact” and is “unsafe”. The club said it is innocent of the Premier League’s accusations and that a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence supports its positions. It added that it would respect due process and was restricted in what it could say until proceedings are complete.
Glasner argued the case must be finalised as soon as possible to protect the league’s integrity. “Let’s wait until the final verdict is spoken, but my wish is just that this is quick,” he said. He pointed to Crystal Palace’s demotion from the Europa League at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year for breaching Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules as an example of how legal processes can drag. Glasner recalled uncertainty over whether Palace would compete in the Europa League or Conference League, with delays before a final verdict arrived 10 days before the Conference League started.
“There is still damage for the Premier League, not just in England. It’s a big topic all over the world, especially in Europe,” Glasner said. “The most important thing is the integrity of the league because as soon as the fans can’t trust it, they won’t watch it any more.”
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery became the first Premier League manager to discuss the City case last week. In an interview published with Spanish outlet Diario de Sevilla, Emery said that if other clubs had been artificially inflated and that were now coming to light, there would obviously be some damage, adding that the matter was for the courts and relevant authorities to decide. He also said he felt sorry because of the way City’s team played under Pep Guardiola, when at times they were unmatched.