‘I do have some sympathy for Manchester City.’
Gary Neville has admitted that he does have “some sympathy” for Manchester City after they were charged by the Premier League for over 100 breaches of financial rules.
City are awaiting the verdict of an independent commission, which will decide what the retrospective punishment will be, ranging to anything from a points deduction to expulsion from the top flight.
Premier League clubs will be eager to see what the outcome is but Neville, who was speaking at a live edition of his programme The Overlap believes that the reigning champions feel that there is animosity towards them from rival clubs.
“There’s been massive respect towards Manchester City over the last seven or eight years, in terms of what we’ve seen on the pitch.
“They are determined that they’ve not done anything wrong, and I feel as if they don’t like the idea of the established elite not liking what they are doing.
“Clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal – the historic, traditional big clubs, don’t like this idea of the newcomer coming on the block and doing what they’re doing.”
Despite the number of alleged breaches facing the Manchester side, the pundit also said he did feel sorry for the club, admitting that he isn’t a fan of financial fair play.
He added: “On the financial side, I do have some sympathy for Manchester City.
“If you look at what Jack Walker did in 1992, 1993, 1994, that was financial doping but, it was deemed to be something completely different because he was a local businessman who pumped money into his club.
“I’m not a fan of the Financial Fair Play Regulations. It means you’ll always have the same clubs at the very top, because their revenues are higher and you’ll always have the lower clubs lower down because they can’t compete with the revenue.
“We do need sustainability and cost controls in football, and this is one of the biggest decisions in the next 12 to 18 months.”
Man City face Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in their first game since Monday’s bombshell news
Gary Neville, speaking on The Overlap Live Fan Debate, in partnership with Sky Bet.
Related links.
- Man City facing possible expulsion from the Premier League for breaking financial rules
- Man City expect Pep Guardiola to leave
- Man City release bullish statement following alleged financial breaches
