Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has said the club is confident it will clear its name after being found guilty of financial doping.
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it → say → doping
The club supremo has warned that while some have been 'quick to reach their own conclusions' after it emerged they had been found guilty on the 'vast majority' of the 115 charges, 'we have faced challenges before and prevailed'.
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we → warn → challenges
The Premier League accused the club of widespread financial cheating over an era of sustained success – with an independent panel hearing concluding in 2024.
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hearing → accuse → 2024
City are set to appeal the decision but any punishment is now expected to follow, with some fans calling for the club to be stripped of the trophies they won at the time, while relegation and big financial sanctions are also possible.
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relegation → set → time
In a letter to fans, Al Mubarak writes that, despite reporting, the Premier League’s process ‘still has a long way to run’ and adds ‘our confidence in proving the club’s innocence remains as strong as it was when this began’.
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this → write → innocence
While an official statement remains outstanding, it is now known that the competition has scored a huge initial triumph, in a revelation that has sent shockwaves through football and opens the door to a series of punishments including expulsion.
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that → remain → expulsion
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (left) has insisted his club are innocent of the charges they have been found guilty of
However, it is viewed as an inevitability that City will launch an appeal.
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City → insist → appeal
And, while not referencing the result of a hearing that has been almost two years in the making, Al Mubarak suggested warned that all is not lost
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all → reference → making
‘The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,’ he wrote.
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he → have → innocence
‘There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position.
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we → be → position
But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment.
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I → respect → moment
Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies.
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it → undergo → checks
‘While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed.
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nothing → reach → us
We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed.
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We → face → challenges
There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our Club.
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who → remain → Club
We will not give them that opportunity.’
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We → give → opportunity
The Premier League are yet to comment.
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League → comment → ?
On Friday, a City spokesperson said: ‘The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.
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process → say → confidentiality
As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the Club’s statement of February 2023.
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position → remain → February
‘The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.
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Board → respect → influence
Relegation could come into play if City are dealt a heavy deduction this season.
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City → come → deduction
And that, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, is likely.
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that → accord → Maguire
'There is no doubt a points deduction would be the most likely outcome in the view of many,' Maguire said on TalkTV.
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Maguire → be → TalkTV
'We have seen them before for Nottingham Forest and Everton for breach of the financial limit rules.
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We → see → rules
The severity of the punishment that could be heading City's way is yet to be determined
It remains unclear what sort of punishment could be handed out, though, and things could yet get worse for the eight-time Premier League champions.
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things → head → champions
Maguire added: 'If you take a look at the Premier League handbook,' Maguire added, 'it says the recommendations are as broad based as you want them to be.
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them → add → handbook
Also, it could be that the titles won during that period will be taken away, though you can't retrospectively have the joy that winning a match and title brings from a fans' perspective.'
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winning → win → perspective
In that case, a number of clubs could find themselves up on their major honours, with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool set to benefit if City are stripped of titles.
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City → find → titles
A number of former United players have taken to social media to suggest they should now have more trophies to their names, while City also won the likes of the League Cup and FA Cup in the period of which they have been charged.
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they → take → which
David De Gea, for example, posted on X: 'So…… Let's talk.
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's → post → X
How many Premier League titles have I won then?'
De Gea played for United from 2011 to 2023, winning the league title in the 2012-13 season.
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Gea → win → season
If City were to hypothetically be stripped of their recent titles, though, he could be quids in.
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he → strip → titles
Former Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand (left) and David De Gea (right) have called for City to be stripped of their titles
Man
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City → call → titles
United finished second in the Premier League in the 2011-12 season – the year De Gea joined the club, were then also runners-up in the 2017-18 campaign, in which De Gea played 37 of the 38 league games, and the 2020-21 season, with the Spaniard featuring in 26 league matches.
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Spaniard → finish → matches
Rio Ferdinand was also keen to state his case, posting on X: 'Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet.'
Former United manager Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, said in 2024: 'We won the Europa League and finished second in the Premier League.
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We → state → League
I think we still have a chance to win that league.
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we → think → league
Maybe they punish Manchester City with points, we win that league.
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we → punish → league
And then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.'
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they → have → medal
Some have also likened the situation to that which faced Juventus 20 years ago.
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which → liken → Juventus
In 2006, the Italian giants were relegated, given a 30-point deduction and were stripped of two top-division titles after they were found to have been involved in conduct amounting to sporting fraud.
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they → relegate → fraud
…and 4 more, not listed.
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