Unai Emery speaks out with big claim as first Premier League manager reacts to Man City FFP ruling
Aston Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, has spoken out, saying that many other clubs have also been boosting their budgets in ways that aren’t quite legit, following the news that Manchester City was found guilty of serious financial rule breaches.
On Tuesday, September 29, the Premier League confirmed that Manchester City broke all charges related to financial rules after an independent investigation. The report revealed that from 2009-10 to 2017-18, the club made fake contracts with sponsors to make their income look bigger by £830 million.
A few days after the verdict came out, Emery shared his thoughts in an interview with Spanish media Diario de Sevilla, as reported by the Daily Mail. He has often criticized the Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which aim to stop clubs from spending too much and risking financial problems.
Emery said, “This has been an issue we all knew about. Clubs have to sell players to meet FFP rules and find ways to create new contracts. FFP tries to keep spending balanced so clubs don’t overspend. Yes, many other clubs have inflated their budgets, and now it’s being uncovered, which will cause problems. The courts and officials will have to handle it. I feel sorry because Manchester City played amazing football under Guardiola.”
Manchester City announced on Friday that they will appeal the decision that they broke Premier League financial rules.
Last year, Emery mentioned how financial rules affected Aston Villa’s 2025 summer transfers when they had to sell youth player Jacob Ramsey to follow the rules. He explained that while the rules were created to stop clubs from going bankrupt, they can also limit well-run clubs from growing quickly. He said, “These rules are good to avoid financial issues, but as professionals, we should review them because they can stop clubs with good management from dreaming bigger and reaching higher goals, since it takes time for success to show in revenue.”