Jamie Carragher: Manchester City FFP charges situation must be resolved quickly

Jamie Carragher has insisted that the investigation into Manchester City’s Premier League charges must be resolved quickly and that it should not drag on over the proposed two-to-four-year timeframe.

Carragher wondered why City are happy to ‘kick the can on the road’ over their alleged breaches of financial fair play if they are innocent.

City were crowned Premier League champions for the fifth time in six seasons this weekend, with Pep Guardiola’s team once again proving to be the league’s star.

In February, however, City were charged by the Premier League for allegedly breaking financial rules 115 times over the past 14 seasons.

City have made it clear that they will take all possible steps to defend themselves against the charges. They also say they have irrefutable evidence to dispute the alleged rule violations.

Carragher stated City’s success would be tarnished if some allegations are proven

Carragher stated that the situation should be resolved “sooner rather than later.”

Speaking on Sky Sports show Monday Night Football ahead of Leicester’s clash with Newcastle, Carragher said: ‘City are defending themselves, they say they are innocent of all charges.

“If you are innocent of all charges, why do people keep saying ‘kick the can on the road’, this is going to take another two to four years.

City doesn’t want this, the Premier League doesn’t want it. It is not good. One of the greatest teams of all time and the (greatest) managers… it’s starved until this is fixed.

My message to City is that this needs to be resolved as soon as possible for their own reputation. There’s no doubt about it, if City gets a ‘guilty’ on this, everything we talk about will be tainted.”

Carragher also stated that City could only appoint Pep Guardiola as manager on the basis of the allegations and the Barcelona-style model in place at the club.

He said: “As for Guardiola, you said other teams spent more in the last four or five years, to get to the point of enticing Guardiola, the best manager they could get, the Barcelona model was built for him. .

“He is more important than buying Haaland. They’ve brought him to the club on these allegations, these need to be answered sooner rather than later, we can’t be two to four years old because that’s a mess for City and all the other players in the Premier League.”

Carragher says City could only appoint Pep Guardiola on the basis of the allegations

Meanwhile, Gary Neville stressed that he disagrees with FFP as it is designed to prevent other clubs from competing with the elite.

The Manchester United legend added that if City are found guilty of some of the charges, their success would be tarnished.

He said, ‘I have a real problem with FFP.

“It was driven by the established elite so that clubs like City and Chelsea couldn’t compete with them, so they could pat them on the head and say ‘stay there.

“No one ever complains that Jack Walker bought the league 30 years ago, when FFP wasn’t in it. I think a new Jack Walker from any city should be able to run their team.

“I like the idea that Sunderland could compete for the Champions League and the league title, but under FFP you can only spend what your income allows, you will always be there.

“I don’t like the rules, I have some sympathy with City on that point, but when the rules are there you have to stick to them. There is no doubt for City, their owners and their executives if some of the more serious charges of the 115 are proven the damage would be long lasting and tainted.”

Like Carragher, Neville urged the Premier League to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

Gary Neville criticized FFP but says the damage from the charges would be serious if proven

“If the Premier League does not see through these allegations, the damage will also be long-term,” he said. There’s going to be a huge moment of pressure in the next few years and there’s something that won’t go away until it’s resolved. This is a sporting situation, not a criminal situation. Let’s move on and try to solve it as soon as possible.’

If the allegations of alleged infringements are proven, City could face points deductions or removal from the Premier League.

“The charges against the reigning champions relate to financial information on earnings, details of manager and player remuneration, UEFA regulations, profitability and sustainability and cooperation with Premier League investigations.

City have reportedly taken legal action against the Premier League for breaking the rules.

“The reigning Premier League champions would challenge both the legality of the charges against them and the lawyer responsible for the trial.”