Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has insisted that the Citizens are a "very well-run" club and has vowed to reveal his "blunt" and "strong views" on the Premier League charges against the club once the verdict has been published.
In February, Man City were charged by the Premier League with breaking 115 financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18 following a four-year investigation.
The club are alleged to have failed to provide accurate financial information relating to sponsorship income, revenue and operating costs and have also been accused of offering a secret contract to one of their managers during this period who was receiving more money than officially stated.
City have also been accused of failing to comply with UEFA's financial fair play rules during a five-year period, and the Premier League also alleged that the reigning champions have not fully co-operated with the investigation.
The Citizens have emphatically denied all the allegations against them, but should they be found guilty by an independent commission, heavy fines, points deductions or Premier League expulsion have been suggested as possible punishments.
Manager Pep Guardiola stated shortly after the charges were announced that he is "fully convinced" Man City are innocent, and he has since called for a final decision to be made "as soon as possible".
© Reuters
Guardiola successfully led Man City to a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 2022-23 and following the club's historic triumph, chairman Al Mubarak has stated that he will reveal his "blunt" and "strong views" of the Premier League and the charges against the club once the final verdict has been published.
Speaking in an exclusive interview for the club's official website, Al Mubarak said: "Obviously I can't talk about them unfortunately for legal reasons. And what I would typically always do is comment after, so I think we're going to go through, we're going through the legal process.
"These are proceedings that take whatever time they take and when we're done, we'll have a conversation. I'll give you my very blunt views, I promise you that. I have very strong views on that, but I am going to be unfortunately very restrained.
"It's very frustrating because it takes so much from the great work that's happening at this club and it's happening not just on the football pitch. The football pitch – what these players have achieved this year, the treble, is incredible.
"I hope people focus and judge them for their football, what they're achieving on the pitch and what they're achieving in every competition they're in.
"The club as a whole is well run, is very well run. Today, the value of this group is over six billion dollars. We've created so much value – we've brought in world class investors. Why? Because we have a commercial machine here that is one of the best in the world.
© Reuters
"We can go on for half an hour right now with me just giving you data in terms of net spend over the last season, net spend over the last three years, over the last five years, over the last ten years – look at every single one of them and just look at these as the facts and compare us to our competition and then people will throw at us 'the biggest spenders', 'you have the biggest squad'. I wish people can just pause and ask the question and get the facts and then comment.
"Our executives are being targeted by the best teams in the world – always. By the way – It's a credit to us. I respect that. People appreciate that we are producing, not just the best talent on the pitch, not just the best talent in the academy, not just the best talent in the group, but we're producing some of the best executives in the world, some of the best scouts in the world, some of the best sporting staff in the world.
"And that's a testament to the great work that this group is doing. We're the number one football brand in the world. These are the facts. The club generates a tremendous revenue."
On Man City winning the treble, Al Mubarak added: "[It is a] relief. Winning this, it reminds me back to 2011-12, that QPR game, the first Premier League. There was relief in that game and then happiness.
"With the Champions League, we've tried so hard for so many years. And then to finally do it, it's relief, it's happiness, but it's really more relief. We finally have that trophy right here."
Man City have won seven Premier League titles, six EFL Cups, three FA Cups, three Community Shields and the Champions League since the 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour and City Football Group.
