Gary Neville says Premier League ‘dragged through the mud’ after ‘chilling’ Man City verdict | OneFootball

Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville believes the standing of English football has taken a severe blow following Manchester City being found guilty of financial breaches, claiming the Premier League has been "dragged through the mud".

An independent panel convicted City across all counts concerning financial regulations, determining that the club "clearly intended to circumvent" rules over nine campaigns, primarily by masking direct owner financial contributions as commercial sponsorship income.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has urged owner Sheikh Mansour to sell the club, while Neville argued that the fallout compromises the reputation of the entire division.

"To listen to this, it is chilling," he remarked on the Stick To Football podcast.

"We always think that we’ve got an enormous integrity, the Premier League, that we are the sort of league that sets the standard, and that it’s other leagues that have got corruption, fraud, doping scandals, match-fixing, referee scandals.

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Jamie Carragher believes Sheikh Mansour must sell Man City (PA)

"This is now coming to our country. This is now coming to our league. This is the greatest export that we have in our country. At the moment we’re being dragged through the mud."

Over the nine-season period, City masked costs and overstated earnings by more than £900 million, allowing them to remain within spending limits set by UEFA and the Premier League.

The club have signalled their intention to challenge the decision, claiming it "contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe".

City stated that "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all (the club’s) positions".

Neville labelled the phrase "irrefutable evidence" as "bizarre", adding: "It was a bit Trump-esque, wasn’t it?"

Carragher insisted there can be no future at the club for senior executives connected to the issue.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Carragher stated: "Manchester City are at the end of their Abu Dhabi era. The club can only heal and recover from the shame of their guilt once the custodians recognise they have failed in their duty and sell up.

"There is no way to sugar-coat this. The scale of the institutional cheating and lack of co-operation in the investigation means the position of all City executives involved is untenable.

"Fighting on will only prolong the agony of supporters who wrongly believe their pleas of innocence."

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Andy Burnham said he would be ‘concerned’ if Man City’s owners left (PA Wire)

These views stood in stark contrast to those of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who expressed on Wednesday that he would be "concerned" if the Abu Dhabi group left.

"They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is," Burnham told the BBC.

Burnham’s remarks followed statements from Independent Football Regulator (IFR) chair David Kogan, who noted that the ruling "raises serious issues" while highlighting the regulator's authority to evaluate the fitness of club executives and owners once proceedings conclude.

The club maintain the support of former manager Pep Guardiola, who guided City to six Premier League titles before departing at the end of last season.

Guardiola posted on social media: "I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever.

"I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters.

"Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."

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Pep Guardiola offered his full backing to his former club (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Wire)

Sponsor Etihad Airways confirmed it remains behind the club while warning it will "seek the relevant legal counsel on the options and recourse available to protect its interests".

In a statement, the state-owned Abu Dhabi airline added: "Etihad categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements.

"The Premier League’s public communication of the commission’s findings, following a period of selective leaks and reporting, has further created damaging implications for Etihad despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings."