Jose Mourinho joked he will be lucky to still be alive when the final verdict on the charges levelled at Manchester City is delivered.
City were last month found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The Premier League confirmed in a statement on September 29 that, following an independent commission ruling, City had been found guilty of all but one of the charges of financial breaches brought against the club.
Among the breaches were the creation of ‘sham’ contracts to help inflate revenue and reduce costs by more than £900m over nine years covering the 2009-10 season to the 2017-18 campaign.
City have appealed the decision but, should it be upheld, could face a punishment that would see them lose their Premier League status. A points deduction that relegates the club and exclusion from the Premier League have both been mooted as potential sanctions, while many have called for City to be stripped of the titles they won in the period in question.
Real Madrid boss Mourinho led Manchester United to a second-placed finish behind City in 2017-18. The Red Devils ended that campaign 19 points adrift of side managed by Pep Guardiola, who left the Etihad Stadium at the end of last season.
Mourinho has previously labelled that second-placed finish as one of his greatest achievements in a storied career.
But, with the independent commission having come to its decision over three years after charges were first brought against City, Mourinho isn’t expecting to imminently learn if he will be awarded a fourth Premier League title retrospectively.
Asked about the case in an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho said: “I prefer to laugh a little, because I think we’ll have an ending.
“We will have an ending. But the two of us [Mourinho and the interviewer], who are nearing 60, should be lucky enough to be here when the final verdict is delivered. Because now the sentence will come, and after a year, there will be an appeal.”
City confirmed their appeal last week.
The club’s statement read: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the club lodged its comprehensive appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.
“The club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.
“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.
“We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.”
