‘Is Your Conscience Clear?’—Mikel Arteta Forced to Confront Man City Past

Manchester City have been found guilty of orchestrated financial cheating.

Mikel Arteta worked for Man City for three years. | Craig Mercer/CameraSport/Getty Images

Mikel Arteta said he does not wish to “make any further comments” about the guilty verdict hanging over Manchester City for financial breaches, but insists his own conscience is clear after previously being employed by the club.

The Premier League charges relate to accusations of financial cheating over a period of nine seasons, 2009–10 to 2017–18. Arteta was an assistant coach at City during the final two years, a position he ultimately held until being appointed by Arsenal in December 2019.

There is no suggestion that City players, Pep Guardiola or coaches or other support staff did anything wrong. Those on the grass and on the sideline achieved their successes, both during and after the nine-year period covered by the charges, in good faith. But it was the club’s “sham” contracts with commercial partners that artificially inflated spending power and made it unfairly possible to assemble a team and staff capable of eventually dominating.

Widespread opinion in the wake of the guilty verdict, which City have refused to accept and are in the process of appealing, is that the success the club has experienced is tainted. Arteta is in no doubt that he is not in the wrong. During a press conference in the buildup to Saturday’s Premier League match against Leeds United, Arteta was asked: “You had a senior position [at Manchester City], is your conscience clear?”

His answer did not offer any elaboration but was clear: “Yes.”

When asked if he had spoken with Pep Guardiola, who is next Tuesday attending his first City game since stepping down as manager in May in a show of support in the club’s first home game since the verdict, Arteta said: “I prefer not to answer those questions.”

The Spaniard was asked for his opinion to the independent commission’s report and verdict, but politely refused to put forward any opinion at this time. “I fully understand the question, but obviously I think it’s very important that we respect the process, the timelines, and it’s still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it's been appealed. My position, and I think [Arsenal’s] position, is not to make any further comments until this is fully resolved.”

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How Does a Man City Punishment Affect Arsenal?

Man City are the biggest threat to potential Arsenal dominance. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

The reported position of other Premier League clubs is that they do not expect to see Manchester City at the start line in 2027–28.

It may be wishful thinking given how far they are expected to push this, but it highlights the severity of the punishment the rest would like to see applied. It will ultimately be up to the original independent commission’s panel to set the sanctions, if the appeal process fails, but a mixture of retrospective and forward-looking punishments are gaining favor with rival teams.

Arsenal perhaps stand to gain more than most in a Premier League without City, who have been and continue to be the Gunners’ closest competition. On the other side of that coin, last season’s title was arguably sweeter because of the colossal effort it took to best a City team that had won six of the previous eight championships.

If City’s titles are eventually stripped from them, there is no guarantee that any will be re-assigned. Arsenal also did not finish as a runner-up to City in any of the seasons that the Premier League trophy headed to the Etihad Stadium covered by the charges.

That said, the Gunners could still earn some financial compensation should a retrospective points deduction be applied to City’s league finishes in those nine seasons, redrawing the final standings.

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