Jose Mourinho gives a very typical Jose Mourinho reply when asked about the Man City charges.
Jose Mourinho joked that he might be 80 years old by the time Manchester City’s legal battle with the Premier League finally ends.
An independent Commission found Manchester City guilty of serious financial rule breaches over nine seasons from 2009 to 2018. City has appealed the decision, insisting they are innocent and have strong evidence to prove it.
The Premier League rules say an appeal hearing should finish within 12 weeks, and a decision shared within 30 days, though this can change if needed. But like many of us, Mourinho has been waiting a long time for a verdict. Now that City is appealing, he’s ready for another long wait. “I’d rather laugh about it,” he told Corriere dello Sport when asked about the case. “We’ll get an ending, but we’re both in our 60s and hope to still be around when it happens. There will be verdicts, then appeals, and more appeals.”
Last year, speaking to Canal 11, Mourinho said clubs breaking financial rules should lose points. He also said Manchester United should have won the Premier League in 2017-18. “There was a tough time at that club after Sir Alex left, and also with David Gill leaving. David Moyes came in, but my Netflix documentary will tell more,” he said. “I don’t understand why clubs just pay fines. They should lose points. Manchester City was punished, and legally, we should have won that league. But to me, that wasn’t enough for stability.”
A big question is what could happen to other clubs if City is found guilty. Before a Europa League game in October 2024, Mourinho joked about possibly winning a Premier League medal himself. “We finished second in 2018,” he said with a smile. “Maybe City gets points taken off, and maybe we win that league — then they’ll have to give me the bonus and the medal!”
The Premier League rules say the commission can give any penalty it thinks is fair, which could even mean taking titles away from City.