Walker admits Man City's 114 charges 'don't look great' and fears tattoo removal

Kyle Walker has broken his silence on Manchester City’s 114 Premier League financial charges, admitting the situation ‘doesn’t look great’ and raising the prospect of having to remove a tattoo commemorating the club’s four successive league titles.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the Burnley defender — who spent eight seasons at the Etihad and won 17 major trophies including six Premier League titles — said he and his former teammates simply focused on performing while the case played out. An independent panel has ruled City guilty of 114 breaches of the league’s financial regulations, with the club lodging an appeal against the verdict.

“It doesn’t look great,” Walker said. “Let’s not hide from the fact they’ve been found guilty but they’re going through an appeal. As a player all I can say is all we did is go out and play our best as a team and I’ll defend the players for the rest of my life, because I feel what we did and achieved in that time was incredible and probably won’t be done ever again.”

The charges centre on allegations that City artificially inflated their revenue through what have been described as ‘sham’ sponsorship agreements. The club have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Potential sanctions are wide-ranging and severe. They include a significant points deduction that could relegate City to the Championship, a transfer ban, and the stripping of titles won during the period covered by the charges. Reports have suggested a further points deduction could follow, potentially extending any spell in the second tier, though any penalties are unlikely to be confirmed until the appeals process concludes.

The uncertainty over City’s honours has placed an uncomfortable spotlight on Walker’s tattoo, which reads ‘four in a row’ — a tribute to the club’s four consecutive Premier League titles. When presenter Andy Goldstein asked whether he had a tattoo removal firm on standby, Walker was candid: “I’m probably going to have to do that bit! I’ll try and keep it on, but hopefully we don’t get things taken away.”

Walker acknowledged the topic would continue to follow him and his former colleagues. “It’s the big elephant in the room we’re probably all going to be asked when doing interviews,” he said. “But from the outside looking in, it doesn’t look great and we have to address that.”