Tue, September 29, 2026
Former Man City manager, Roberto Mancini, says alleged double payment does not concern him amid City’s reported 114 Premier League charges
Roberto Mancini, head coach of the Italian national football team who managed Manchester City from 2009 – 2013, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and City’s first Premier League title in 44 years in 2012, has reportedly recognised that he had a “double contract” during that period, but has voiced that it is “not a problem that concerns [him]” amid the revelation that Manchester City has reportedly been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against it relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
The Premier League has not yet published the independent commission’s full judgment, and the process remains ongoing. The club will most likely appeal, according to The Athletic, as City believes it has a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence.” City has consistently denied wrongdoing, and Chair of the club, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has since expressed that: “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.”
City has been under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour since 2008, when his Abu Dhabi United Group acquired the club. Following an investigation lasting more than 4 years, City was first charged at the beginning of 2023.
After German newspaper, Der Spiegel, published leaked financial documents from the club in 2018, an investigation was undertaken into breaches which allegedly occurred between 2009 and 2018, and this was then referred to an independent commission to adjudicate over the charges.
The Premier League claimed that the club did not provide accurate financial information, including payments to players and coaches. It has since been reported that Spiegel also published evidence showing that Mancini doubled his base salary of £1.45 million for advising a club in Abu Dhabi. So, the “double contract” refers to an alleged arrangement where Mancini reportedly had both an official contract with Manchester City for his managerial salary and a separate consultancy contract with Al Jazira, a separate club also owned by Mansour, which allegedly paid Mancini extra money for brief consultancy work. This may not have been disclosed to the Premier League, according to outlets.
However, Mancini has voiced: “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.”
City also allegedly breached European Governing Body, UEFA’s, Financial Fair Play regulations, which are designed to prevent clubs from spending notably more than they earn, and the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules, which limit how much clubs can lose financially during a period of time. The charges also included alleged failures to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
In 2020, UEFA handed City a two-season exclusion from European competitions and a €30 million fine after the leaked documents were published, but this was overturned in court. The court found that there was insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold all of UEFA’s conclusions and that some of the alleged offences were time-barred. However, the club did receive a reduced fine of €10 million (£8.8 million) for failing to cooperate with UEFA’s investigation.
City could face points deductions and fines, and the club could also be removed from the Premier League. These are potential sanctions and none have yet been announced. If points deductions are made retrospectively, the club could potentially have titles removed.
During this period of alleged breaches, City has won the Premier League three times. The club is currently top of the Premier League after five games into the 2026-27 season and has spent around £450 million during the summer transfer window.
