Joe Hart backs Man City chairman and insists 'I know what we did' amid charges uncertainty

Joe Hart has thrown his weight behind Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, saying he remains ‘very confident and very calm’ that the club will not be found guilty of their Premier League charges.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, the former City and England goalkeeper, now 39, said Al Mubarak’s open letter — published in response to recent reporting on the charges — was enough to settle any doubts in his mind. ‘I’ve got no reason not to trust Khaldoon; what he said is enough for me,’ Hart said. ‘I loved how he spoke. I loved the letter because that was from someone who cared about the club.’

Al Mubarak’s letter had stated that the Premier League process ‘still has a long way to run’ and that the club’s ‘confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began.’ The chairman acknowledged he was unable to share the full basis for that confidence due to the strict confidentiality requirements of the ongoing legal process, adding that ‘nothing has changed’ despite the noise surrounding the club.

Hart, who won multiple Premier League titles with City during his time at the club, was direct about his own experience on the pitch. ‘I did what I did. I lined up 11 v 11 and had it out on the pitch. I won some games, lost some games, drew some games, and I shook hands, and I walked off,’ he said. ‘I know what I did, I know what we did, and I know how it happened. It didn’t feel like we were scheming or plotting.’

The player-turned-pundit was careful to acknowledge the conditional nature of his position. ‘If Man City are found guilty, which I don’t think they are because of what Khaldoon said, then there are conversations to be had,’ he said. ‘But right now I’m very confident and very, very calm. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved and what I did with Manchester City and what we achieved as a team. And that doesn’t change, that doesn’t change until you tell me.’

The Premier League charges against Manchester City relate to alleged breaches of financial rules over a number of seasons. The independent commission hearing the case is still ongoing, with no verdict expected imminently.