Luis Enrique backs Manchester City to avoid sanction after 114 financial rule breaches

PSG manager Luis Enrique has expressed hope that Manchester City avoid punishment after an independent commission found them guilty of 114 Premier League charges of breaching financial rules, with the two clubs set to meet at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League on Wednesday.

City were ruled to have benefited from more than £900m in disguised funding across a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. They are appealing the verdict and face potential sanctions ranging from a points deduction to relegation or even expulsion from the Premier League.

Despite the gravity of the findings, Luis Enrique was unequivocal in his support for the club. “There is a lot of noise around Manchester City and there is often noise around big clubs,” he said. “I hope everything works out well for Manchester City because I think what they have done on the pitch has been incredible over the last few years and they certainly deserved to win on the pitch all the trophies they have won. Now we have to wait to see what the authorities decide or the judge is going to say.”

The PSG boss also defended former Spain and Barcelona teammate Pep Guardiola, who stepped down from the City job in the summer after winning 20 trophies in a decade. Guardiola returns to the Etihad on Wednesday as an opponent for the first time. Luis Enrique was clear that the Spaniard’s medals should not be taken from him.

“The trophies you win on the pitch remain on the pitch,” Luis Enrique added. “They deserved to win that and I hope they can avoid the sanction. But we have to wait. The things I will say to Pep I will do in private.”

City won the Champions League in 2023 as part of a historic treble under Guardiola, a period now clouded by the ongoing legal proceedings. Wednesday’s first leg at the Etihad marks the first major European fixture at the ground since the commission delivered its verdict.