Mancini breaks silence on 'double contract' as Man City face landmark financial verdict

Roberto Mancini has publicly addressed allegations that he held a ‘double contract’ during his tenure as Manchester City manager, dismissing the issue as not his concern — even as City face the potential fallout from a landmark Premier League financial charges case.

The Italian, who guided City to their first Premier League title in half a century in 2011-12 as well as the FA Cup in 2011, was questioned about his contract arrangements at an Italy press conference in Turkey on Sunday, ahead of a Nations League fixture on Monday.

“It’s not a problem that concerns me,” Mancini said. “Anyhow, it’s not something new, because every four or five years this comes up. Manchester City is not guilty and the fact of having a double contract isn’t my problem but theirs, probably.”

German magazine Der Spiegel reported in 2018 that Mancini effectively doubled his £1.45 million base salary at City by simultaneously advising a club in Abu Dhabi. The allegation sits within a broader set of charges brought against City by the Premier League, which include an alleged failure to provide accurate details of player and manager payments across the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons.

Reports on Friday suggested an independent panel had upheld almost all of the 100-plus financial charges against City in a case that has been running for more than three years. City did not confirm the outcome, stating only that their case with the Premier League was “ongoing.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak addressed supporters in a letter on Saturday, reaffirming the club’s position. “The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.

Mancini managed City between 2009 and 2013, delivering the club’s first major trophies following the 2008 takeover by Abu Dhabi’s ruling family. He was dismissed just days after a shock FA Cup final defeat to Wigan in 2013.