Man Utd fans to bring back Stretford End 'ticker' banner after Man City guilty verdict

A group of Manchester United fans will display an updated version of the 'ticker' banner for Saturday's Premier League clash against Tottenham, 15 years after it was last seen at Old Trafford.

It is expected to be an eventful weekend of Premier League action as the fallout from Manchester City being found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of financial rules continues to spark debate.

An independent commission found that between 2009-10 and 2017-18, the club arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners as part of a "disguised funding scheme" to artificially inflate the club's revenues by £830 million.

Last week, City confirmed that they have appealed the decision that threatens to diminish their achievements during that nine-year period and beyond.

READ MORE: Erling Haaland sends defiant message to fans following Man City guilty verdict

Manchester United fans, meanwhile, are preparing to mock their local rivals with a banner that was first introduced to the Stretford End in 2000.

For those unfamiliar, the 'ticker' banner originally read '24 YEARS', a reference to City's lengthy trophy drought, which stretched back to their League Cup triumph in 1976.

But 11 years later, after City lifted the FA Cup in 2011, the banner was removed from Old Trafford for obvious reasons.

At the time, the counter had reached '35 YEARS' but now - after City were found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules - a new '51 YEARS' version will be displayed in the Stretford End.

Man Utd fans are set to bring back the 'ticker' banner. Image credit: Getty

A report from The Athletic claims The Red Army (TRA) group has paid £114 to have an updated version made ahead of Saturday's game against Tottenham.

Jose Mourinho gives his take on Man City charges verdict

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has joked that he could be 80 years old by the time City's legal battle with the Premier League is over.

"I would rather laugh about it," he told Corriere dello Sport, after being asked for his thoughts on the case.

"I think we will eventually get an ending, but we are both in our 60s and we'll need to be lucky enough to still be around when the final verdict arrives. There will be a verdict, then appeals, then more appeals."

Speaking to Canal 11 last year, Mourinho suggested those who break financial rules should "pay in points" before claiming that Manchester United should have won the Premier League in 2017-18.

"There's a critical moment at that club, not only with Sir Alex's departure, but also with David Gill's. David Moyes came in, but when my Netflix documentary comes out, the story will be told," he began.

"I'll arrive later, and when I arrive, I'll arrive at a club still going through that period. We won several things, we finished second in the league. I still say I don't understand clubs that are punished with financial fair play and pay [in cash]."

Mourinho added: "I think they should pay points. Manchester City was punished, and legally, we should have won the league. But it wasn't enough for me to have stability, continuity."