Dugarry challenges Luis Enrique’s defence of Manchester City after financial ruling

At the end of September, Manchester City was found guilty of, among other things, artificially inflating its revenues and understating its costs by more than 900 million pounds, or over one billion euros. The case is weighing on the build-up to the club’s Champions League meeting with PSG on Wednesday evening.

On Tuesday, Luis Enrique said the English club had “deserved to win these trophies”, despite the financial offences it was found guilty of. Christophe Dugarry strongly rejected that view. Speaking on the programme Rothen s’enflamme on RMC, he said: “I am extremely shocked by Luis Enrique’s comments.”

The former player also disputed the idea that on-field performances could be separated from off-field practices. “All the titles and all the matches they won have no value. It was with players who were bought by cheating. So there is inevitably a correlation,” he insisted. Dugarry therefore disagrees with Luis Enrique as the “billion-euro fraud” case takes up part of the conversation ahead of this second Champions League matchday, scheduled for 21:00.

The debate also concerns the club’s honours: since coming under Emirati ownership in 2008, Manchester City have won eight Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023 under Pep Guardiola.