Former Man City manager speaks out on club's 115 Premier League charges in rare interview

A former Manchester City manager has spoken out about the 115 financial charges the club faces.

Man City made history at the end of last season by becoming the first club ever to win four successive Premier League titles.

The achievement came 12 months after Pep Guardiola's side became just the second English team to win the treble, doing so by securing the club's first Champions League title.

Guardiola has overseen the club's golden era, but financial charges brought by the Premier League hangs over their success.

In February 2023 the Premier League charged City with 115 breaches of its financial rules.

The charges cover a period spanning 2009-2018, and relate to several areas including alleged artificial inflation of sponsorship deal values and renumeration of former manager Roberto Mancini.

City were also accused of failing to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation. The case will be heard by an independent panel at some point later this year, although the league's chief executive Richard Masters has not confirmed an exact date.

City strenuously deny the charges.

One of the managers who led City during the period under scrutiny is Manuel Pellegrini, now coaching La Liga side Real Betis.

Manuel Pellegrini is now the manager of Spanish side Real Betis. [Getty]

The Chilean coach led City to a Premier League and League Cup double in his first season in charge in 2013-14, before winning the League Cup again in 2015-16 and guiding the club to its first ever Champions League semi-final.

Pellegrini, who replaced Roberto Mancini in 2013 and made way for Guardiola in 2016, has now spoken out about the charges City face.

In a rare interview, the 70-year-old was asked by BBC Sport's Simon Stone what he made of the situation.

"I am sure the fans of Manchester City are really happy with the way the club works and the way they play and the trophies they have won during all these years," Pellegrini answered.

"Always you have criticism about a lot of things."

Pellegrini is entering his 37th season in management, having also previously coached Real Madrid, West Ham, Villarreal and Malaga, among others.