Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Chris Flanagan

‘Premier League charges don’t overshadow what Manchester City players have achieved’: Former Sky Blues star speaks out

Kyle Walker of Manchester City lifts the Premier League Trophy after their team's victory during the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on May 19, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images).

Manchester City go into the 2024/25 season with 115 Financial Fair Play charges hanging over their heads – but one of their former stars has insisted that it doesn’t diminish anything that the team have achieved.

City have won eight Premier League titles during the past 12 years, and last term became the first team ever to become English champions for four seasons in succession.

But the club were charged some time ago with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules – their Premier League hearing could take place this autumn, with a potential verdict by the summer.

VIDEO: Why Savio Means Man City Won't Miss Julian Alvarez

Manchester City deny the charges and are fighting the case hard, so it’s difficult to say whether they’ll be hit with sanctions, or whether they would affect the 2024-25 season. 

Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James believes that, whatever the outcome, the situation doesn’t overshadow everything that the team have achieved in recent years.

David James (Image credit: Steven Paston)

“I don’t think the players or manager are guilty of wrongdoing,” he tells FourFourTwo. “You’re looking at the best players, playing the best football, it doesn’t overshadow what they’ve done.

“The players haven’t cheated. They’ve been the best team in the Premier League for the past four years, and they deserve it because they play great football.”

James represented Manchester City between 2004 and 2006, not long after their move to the Etihad Stadium, but before their takeover by Thaksin Shinawatra and then Sheikh Mansour.

James infamously played as a striker (Image credit: Getty Images)

City finished eighth in the table after Stuart Pearce took over midway through the 2004-05 campaign, which ended with James famously being played up front in the closing stages of the final game of the season at home to Middlesbrough.

Chasing victory, Pearce deployed the 6ft 4in goalkeeper as a target man in the opposition’s penalty area, but City weren’t able to find the goal they were looking for, as a 1-1 draw denied them a place in the UEFA Cup.

More Manchester City stories

Manchester City staff ‘unsure’ Pep Guardiola will continue as manager

Cristiano Ronaldo offered himself to Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola brutally rejected him: report

Alan Shearer tips Arsenal to beat Manchester City to Premier League title...if they make one key signing

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.