Former Man City Captain Vincent Kompany Questions Club's Critics After Premier League Charges

Burnley boss raises concerns over finger pointing in football industry after more than 100 breaches of financial rules laid against reigning champions.

Former Manchester City captain, Vincent Kompany, has expressed skepticism towards the Premier League’s recent charges of more than 100 breaches of financial rules against his former club. The reigning champions were hit with the charges relating to a period between 2009 and 2018, with punishments ranging from fines to relegation if found guilty. However, Kompany, who is now the manager of Burnley, would not comment directly on the charges and instead questioned the motives of the club’s critics.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany (Photo by Guliver Image)
“I kind of look at it and sometimes roll my eyes a little bit,” Kompany said. “No doubt there’s a lot of righteousness in the world to come and tell you what you’ve done wrong, and then if everybody looks at themselves, I think the football industry in general is not one that can afford to point the finger too many times.” The former defender stated that he had not had time to look into the specifics of the case, as he is fully focused on his current job at Burnley.

Many Premier League clubs are pushing for Manchester City to be expelled from the division if found guilty of breaking rules over nine seasons. The Premier League’s most severe punishment would be to expel City, but such a decision would not be without controversy and criticism. Taking away City’s titles retrospectively would be meaningless and cause confusion, while a fine is also not likely to have much of an effect.

The Premier League alleges that Manchester City breached league rules requiring the provision of “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position” and full details of manager and player remuneration in contracts. The charges also relate to alleged breaches of Premier League rules requiring clubs to comply with UEFA financial fair play regulations between 2013-14 to 2017-18.

Premier League clubs are wary of getting involved in the process, which is in the hands of an independent commission. While there may not be much sympathy for Manchester City, who have won the Premier League six times in the last 11 years, the outcome of the charges could have significant ramifications for the club and the future of the Premier League. The eyes of the football world will be closely monitoring the case to see how it unfolds.

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