Mancini distances himself from City financial scandal: “It’s the club’s problem”

“It’s not a matter that concerns me,” Roberto Mancini said of the financial scandal surrounding his former club, Manchester City. The current Italy coach also summed up his position: “No, I’m not worried; it’s the club’s problem.” He made the remarks after being asked about the case ahead of Italy’s match in France on Friday, and again late on Thursday at the Stade de France.

Mancini had already appeared to acknowledge the previous weekend that he had had “a double contract” as City manager between 2009 and 2013. In Turkey, he said that “Manchester City are not guilty, and having a double contract is probably not my problem, but theirs.” The club, for its part, said it was innocent and appealed the verdict.

On Tuesday, the Premier League published a decision stating that City was “guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches” of the competition’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. Among the allegations is an alleged failure to provide accurate information about payments to players and coaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

The case also concerns Mancini’s salary: City is accused of potentially avoiding around £12 million in income tax and social security contributions in connection with it. In 2018, Der Spiegel published documents indicating that Mancini had doubled his £1.45 million basic salary by advising a club in Abu Dhabi. At City, he won the FA Cup in 2011 and then led the team to its first Premier League title in half a century in 2011-12.