MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique came to Manchester City’s defense on Tuesday, saying he hopes the club won’t be stripped of titles after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
Back-to-back Champions League winner PSG plays City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
City could face sanctions including a huge fine, points deductions or even expulsion from England’s top flight. There have also been calls for it to be stripped of trophies it won during a nine-year period in which it was found to have artificially inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion.
“I hope everything works out well for Man City because I think what they have done on the pitch has been incredible over the last few years and they certainly deserved to win all the trophies they have won,” Luis Enrique said ahead of the Champions League game. “The trophies you win on the pitch remain on the pitch. They deserved to win that and I hope they can avoid the sanction.
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“But now we have to wait to see what the authorities decide or the judge is going to say.”
City is under Abu Dhabi ownership and PSG is Qatari-backed. Both clubs have been sanctioned by European governing body UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations in the past.
City is accused of providing misleading information about its finances from 2009-18. During that time, it won three titles. It has appealed the verdict.
City defender Ruben Dias said the players were focusing on the pitch, like they did Sunday in a 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
“I feel like when you build yourself as a player, you build yourself against any kind of noise,” he said. “Personally, and I really feel like I speak for the whole group, we’re very calm. We trust the club, we’re very calm and we’re very focused on enjoying football.”
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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