David Ornstein reveals "abuse" from Manchester City fans after breaking charges story | OneFootball

David Ornstein has spoken out after breaking the huge Manchester City story last week in what could end up being one of the most significant football scandals of all time.

As has now been confirmed by the Premier League, Man City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them for serious financial breaches.

Ornstein was the first to break this story on the Athletic and he’s now spoken on the Overlap today to discuss how he got the information and checked everything before publishing.

One of the most reliable journalists in the industry, Ornstein insists he did everything by the book despite getting some stick and even abuse from City supporters online.

David Ornstein on breaking the Manchester City story

“I don’t take pleasure from one of the sorriest episodes in English European world football history,” Ornstein said.

“I’m not getting an exhilaration from a club being found guilty of industrial level cheating which they still deny.”

He added: “You’ve just got to do your job – Manchester City and the other clubs know that, and that’s why actually the process was probably quite cordial, because I’ve done it for my whole career. And this was in the public’s interest.

“I was getting a lot of stick and abuse from Manchester City fans saying whoever called you up and leaked it, it wasn’t a leak as such. I don’t regard it as a leak. You may have a different definition of what a leak is. I think I uncovered it and followed due process to perform a really important piece of journalism.

“And interestingly, I’ve had no complaints from anybody involved. The only complaints and stick have come from social media because there’s a lot of emotion and people being upset.”

What next for Manchester City?

We’re sure to hear lots of speculation about the punishment for City, but the reality is that we’re still unlikely to know what will be for a few more months at least.

MCFC can and surely will appeal the decision and that means the case could drag on, but the Guardian expect we should know more by January.

That report from the Guardian suggests City’s rivals are pushing for really strong sanctions on City, which could mean even more than just a simple relegation to the Championship.