Arsenal fans cannot believe Arsene Wenger’s surprising stance on the 115 charges of financial misconduct facing Manchester City.
The Premier League and the team that have dominated the competition over the course of the last decade have been at loggerheads for years with both parties accusing the other of wrongdoing.
A resolution to the case which has been brought against City is expected by the end of the year with their rivals hoping for a guilty verdict which could result in severe penalties, including points deductions and being stripped of their titles.
Wenger spent the latter half of his 20-year Arsenal tenure railing against the likes of City and Chelsea who he accused of spending their way to success and benefiting from financial doping.
Most Arsenal fans would have expected Wenger to have been rubbing his hands with glee at the prospect of City getting their comeuppance, especially given how they tore one of his most promising teams to shreds having enticed the likes of Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Adebayor to the Etihad Stadium.
Instead, however, when asked about the impending conclusion to a seemingly never-ending legal process, Wenger defended City’s conduct and suggested the Premier League’s rule book needed ripping up.
He told beIN Sport: ‘I feel the rules today of the Financial Fair Play have to be changed in the Premier League because they now face competition from other leagues who have changed the rules.
Man City’s 115 alleged breaches explained
54 alleged breaches for failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009-10 to, and including, 2017-18.
14 alleged breaches for failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009-10 to, and including, 2017-18.
5 alleged breaches for failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
7 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015-16 to, and including, 2017-18.
35 alleged breaches for failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to present.
‘At the moment you cannot see a club like Man City being charged with 115 different charges in a football season. I don’t believe in that. They are clever club, well managed, well run and the Premier League lost already a case against them that is more linked with commercial activities.
Pressed as to whether he was guilty of performing an enormous U-turn, he added: ‘I just think 115 different charges against a football club looks like we are an international administration there and the rules have to be changed.
‘I was concerned because they came in and had not faced any financial fair play, nor has Chelsea. They bought my players and Chelsea bought who they wanted because there was no financial fair play.’
The Frenchman’s stance was too much to take for some Arsenal fans who questioned whether or not this was the same man who saw his legacy tarnished by an inability to keep pace with the modern superpowers who overtook the north London club in the Premier League pecking order.
‘What the heck is he even going on about?’ remarked one baffled Arsenal fan on X, while another added ‘He’s lost it. Sad.’
‘Changed his tune now he’s not the one managing against them, sad to watch!’ said another disgruntled Arsenal supporter, while another said ‘Damn, he wouldn’t have said this when he was coaching.’
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