GARY NEVILLE says he has SYMPATHY for Manchester City after they were charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
On Monday, a bombshell announcement by the Premier League saw the champions be charged with financial offences.
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The charges relate to financial information regarding revenue, details of manager and player remuneration, Uefa regulations, profitability and sustainability and co-operation with Prem investigations.
An independent commission have been referred the matter with a number of sanctions possible, ranging from a points deduction to even expulsion.
But Manchester United icon Neville says he has sympathy for his old team’s city rivals.
Neville has claimed he does not agree with Financial Fair Play regulations as he believes the system is flawed.
Speaking on The Overlap Live Fan Debate, Neville declared: “On the financial side, I do have some sympathy for Manchester City.
“If you look at what Jack Walker did in 1992, 1993, 1994, that was financial doping but it was deemed to be something completely different because he was a local businessman who pumped money into his club.
“I’m not a fan of the Financial Fair Play Regulations.
“It means you’ll always have the same clubs at the very top, because their revenues are higher and you’ll always have the lower clubs lower down, because they can’t compete with the revenue.
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“We do need sustainability and cost controls in football, and this is one of the biggest decisions in the next 12 to 18 months.”
City have reportedly hired one of Boris Johnson’s “partygate” lawyers to help defend the club against charges from the Prem.
The Lawyer report that City are now drafting in the biggest names from the legal professional to help defend their case.
Respected lawyer Lord Pannick KC has been hired by the club as they look to clear their name.
It is also likely to be costly for the club as Lord Pannick could reportedly be paid £80,000 a day, or £400,000 a week, should the case come to trial and he was to be working full-time.
This wage would equal what star player Kevin De Bruyne is earning.
City will walk into a room full of the Prem clubs who want them booted OUT of the League on Thursday.
A two-day scheduled series of meetings of the 20 clubs and Prem board is due to begin at lunchtime in a central London hotel.
And it means City representatives will sit down around the conference table with the clubs pushing for the ultimate punishment if the 115 alleged breaches of League rules are proved.