Premier League managers have adopted a cautious stance following Manchester City’s guilty verdict over breaches of financial regulations, with the league preparing to resume action this weekend.
City were found guilty of breaching most of the 115 financial rules they were charged with, although the club has appealed the verdict.
Coventry City manager, Frank Lampard, who played for Manchester City during the 2014-15 season, declined to give a detailed assessment of the case, insisting that he would wait for the outcome of the appeal.
“We’ve all seen the news, it’s obviously big news, Man City are appealing. I guess my reaction is that, right?
“What can you say when an appeal is going on? I’m not inside the story, I’m outside it completely. I played for Man City a long time ago now, for one year. We’ll wait and see what the result of the appeal is and onwards. I don’t know the timelines at all.”
Asked about the potential consequences for City, Lampard added, “I don’t know, for Man City? I’m outside the loop. I have this job and my, not problems, but things I need to work on and I always respect a manager for whatever situation, there are a lot of things you don’t know. This is obviously something we do know but they are obviously a huge football club now, a huge squad of quality players so we will see.”
Leeds United manager, Daniel Farke, was similarly reluctant to comment extensively, saying there were people better placed to discuss the matter.
“Not my topic. My topic is football. There are more qualified people to speak on this.
“It makes no sense if right now everyone wants to have an opinion about this topic. There are more qualified people to talk about this. It’s nothing to do with me, I was not involved in the title race during those years,” he said.
The verdict is expected to remain a major talking point around the Premier League, particularly ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
City manager Enzo Maresca is scheduled to face the media on Friday, with questions about the financial case and the club’s appeal likely to feature prominently during his press conference.
