‘Their Issue’—Former Man City Manager Bites Back at Major Allegation
Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has argued accusations against him in the ongoing investigation into the club are “not his concern.”
Leaked documents appeared to show Mancini, who joined City in 2009 right at the start of the nine-year period that has been investigated by the Premier League, had received illegal payments from City’s ownership group during his four years in charge, which is central to one of the many accusations against City.
Following the news that City had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them, current Italy manager Mancini did his best to distance himself from the saga.
“It’s not an issue that concerns me,” Mancini said. “It’s nothing new because this matter has been discussed for the last four or five years.
“Manchester City has not been found guilty, and the alleged double contract is not my concern. It’s their issue, not mine.”
dark. FREE NEWSLETTER. New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC
What Are the Charges Involving Man City and Roberto Mancini?
Mancini was the first managerial appointment made under City’s new ownership, replacing Mark Hughes in 2009. He had won three consecutive Serie A titles with Inter Milan and had been linked with Chelsea a year prior to moving to Manchester, when a legal dispute with the Italian side left him unable to work until shortly before he joined City.
Leaked documents showed Mancini’s contract with City included a basic salary of £1.45 million ($1.9 million at the current rate), but the concern involves what Mancini referred to as the “double contract.”
Those leaks also showed Mancini had a contract working as a consultant to a club in Abu Dhabi known as Al Jazira, which was also owned by City’s primary owner, Sheikh Mansour. That contract also included a salary of £1.75 million, routed via an offshore company.
Among the charges against City is a failure to provide “full details of manager remuneration in its relevant contracts with its manager,” alleging club officials intentionally kept these off-book payments to Mancini a secret.
Roberto Mancini’s Man City Record
Statistic | Roberto Mancini at Man City |
|---|---|
Tenure | Dec. 19, 2009—June 30, 2013 |
Games | 191 |
Record | 113-38-40 |
Trophies | FA Cup (2010–11), Premier League (2011–12), Community Shield (2012) |
When Mancini was fired in 2013, his departure also created another problem for City as they sought to navigate UEFA’s new Financial Fair Play regulations.
Leaked emails appear to show Jorge Chumillas, City’s chief financial officer at the time, confirming “a shortfall of £9.9 million” when it came to meeting the FFP rules, relating specifically to Mancini’s termination fee.
City are alleged to have used inflated sponsorship deals, funded by the ownership group, to help cover that deficit. Mancini is not suspected of any wrongdoing in relation to this specific allegation.
City have repeatedly denied the accusations made against them and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak even stressed his confidence that the group will clear their name as recently as Saturday, 24 hours after news of the guilty verdict emerged. City are expected to launch an appeal.
feed. READ THE LATEST MAN CITY NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC