Arsenal legend Ian Wright has raised the issue of the 115 outstanding charges that Manchester City are facing from the Premier League as they continue to challenge for the title
Ian Wright has insisted any comparisons between Liverpool and Manchester City are moot until the situation around the 115 charges the latter are facing is decided.
Last February, City were charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. The charges cover a period from 2009 up to last season, during which City have won seven titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League.
Liverpool have emerged as their main challengers in recent years, though have only been able to win one Premier League title. But while on paper City boss Pep Guardiola is ahead of Reds rival Jurgen Klopp, Wright has pulled back from crowning either manager the best.
Instead, he insisted the situation around the charges must be resolved, with the date for the hearing unknown. Until the judgement is made, the Arsenal legend believes that it is impossible to make a comment on which boss is better.
“You look at the trophy haul and you have to say that Pep’s done very well. But then you look at what Klopp’s done to try to catch Manchester City, the way he’s built that team, how long it’s taken them to get there,” he told Sky Sports.
“You have to say, it might be easier for Pep in what he’s done, but Klopp’s still got to get a lot of love. It’s there for everyone to see in respect of trophies but we can’t speak about City without speaking about the fact there’s 115 charges around them.
“The one thing I would like more than anything else is for that to be gone so you can give the team and the manager the love they deserve. You speak about them and it’s like there’s an elephant in the room.
“You want to speak about them, with this rivalry, without saying ‘yeah….’, it’s not fair on the players, it’s not fair on the club. The sooner that’s gone, the better for them, but you can’t look at the amount of trophies and say that Guardiola’s not done better.”
Little is known about when the judgement on City may drop, with the Premier League having set up an independent commission to hear the charges. But when publishing the list of charges, league chiefs insisted that commission would be confidential.
For their part, City have maintained their belief they will eventually be proven innocent. In their initial response to news of the charges, the reigning champions insisted they had been caught off guard.
“Manchester City FC is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with,” a club statement read.
“The Club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
