Arteta says conscience is clear but defers judgment on Man City rule breaches

Mikel Arteta has declared his conscience is clear over Manchester City’s Premier League rule breaches but refused to pass further judgment, citing the club’s ongoing appeal against a guilty verdict covering more than 100 financial regulation breaches spanning 2009 to 2018.

Speaking at a press conference at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground, Arteta — who served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad Stadium from 2016 to 2019 before joining Arsenal — was asked directly whether his conscience was clear. His answer was a single word: “Yes.”

Beyond that, the Arsenal manager was careful not to go further. “The process has been going for various years,” he said. “That process is still not finished. So, it is very difficult to express how I feel, because it is not resolved. When it is resolved I can talk with clarity and tell you exactly how I feel.”

Asked whether the Premier League remained the best league in the world despite the verdict casting a shadow over the division, Arteta was unequivocal. “One hundred per cent,” he said. But when pressed on whether the league had been “damaged” by City’s guilty finding, he returned to the same position: “There is a process that is not resolved. It is ongoing and we can have a much clearer opinion once it’s been resolved.”

Arteta also declined to say whether he had spoken to Guardiola since the independent commission’s verdict was released a fortnight ago. “I prefer not to answer those questions,” he said. When asked whether his memories of his time at the Etihad had been “tainted”, he acknowledged the question without engaging with it. “There is a lot of noise around it. It is an ongoing process that has not been resolved yet.”

City have launched an appeal against the verdict, with current manager Enzo Maresca among those to insist the club’s success has not been tainted. Arteta echoed the need for patience, saying: “We need to trust that the people in charge will resolve it in the timeframe that they believe is the best for everybody.”

Arsenal are bidding to win the Premier League title this season and will regard City — who have won all five of their opening matches — as their primary rivals. Arteta declined to speculate on whether the ongoing uncertainty surrounding City could hand Arsenal any competitive advantage. “That’s something that’s not in our hands,” he said. “What we think about is us, about what we do and what we want to achieve.”