Unai Emery has launched a stunning claim that “many other” Premier League clubs have been curbing league regulations, following the confirmation of Manchester City’s guilty verdict last week.
An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, with the Manchester side accused of concoting a "disguised funding scheme" that spanned 2009 to 2018. It is believed that the scheme hid secret funding worth over £830million.
City released a statement on Thursday confirming that they would be appealing the commission’s decision, as the process continues to drag out. No punishment has been decided upon yet, while City deny any wrongdoing.
They claim that the secret funding was paid by the Abu Dhabi state, rather than the Abu Dhabi United Group, the private investment company which owns the club.
City claim that the money in question came from the Abu Dhabi government, not owners Abu Dhabi United Group. ADUG is a private investment company belonging to United Arab Emirates vice-president and deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour.
Now, Aston Villa manager Emery believes that there are others in the English top flight that have also flouted financial regulations in a bid to obtain an unfair advantage.
"It's an issue that was already known,” the Spaniard told Diario de Sevilla.
“Because we all have our restrictions, we have to sell players to comply with Financial Fair Play, we have to figure out how to draw up contracts with new people.
"Financial Fair Play seeks a financial balance so that what you generate is spent and there isn't inflation. Yes, many other clubs have inflated their budgets, and now it's coming to light, and naturally there's a decline.
"That's something that the courts and those responsible will have to decide. I feel sorry because how that team played. With [Pep] Guardiola, there were times when they were unmatched."
Emery’s Villa were fined by UEFA in June for what the European governing body called a “significant breach” of its squad cost rule for the 2025 financial year, while Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle were also handed fines for respective breaches of UEFA’s rules.
Financial Fair Play was put in place to keep tabs on clubs’ spending, and make sure that their outgoing cash was aligned with their incoming monies.
What City are accused of is falsely inflating their sponsorship deals through “sham” contracts and agreements, which saw them charged by the Premier League back in February 2023.
