The former Manchester City manager says the financial allegations covering his title-winning years are the club’s problem, not his.
Roberto Mancini, the Italian coach who led Manchester City to their first English league title in 44 years, has brushed aside allegations that he was paid through a second, hidden contract while working at the club.
Asked about the claims, Mancini said the matter does not involve him. "It's their issue, not mine," he said of the club, adding that the subject had already been in public discussion for four or five years.
What the case is about
Manchester City were charged by the Premier League — the top division of English football — with 115 breaches of its financial rules. Among them were 14 allegations that the club failed to give accurate information about payments made to players and managers between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
An independent panel has now found the club guilty of all but one of those charges, as reported by Daily Guide Network. Punishment has not yet been announced, so it is not clear whether City face a fine, a points deduction, or another sanction.
The seasons covered by the charges include Mancini's three and a half years in charge at the Etihad Stadium. In that spell he won the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League title in 2012, ending a 44-year wait for a league championship.
The consultancy claim
The "double contract" allegation goes back to reporting by the German newspaper Der Spiegel. It alleged that a large share of Mancini's pay came not directly from Manchester City but through a consultancy arrangement with Al Jazira, a football club in Abu Dhabi.
Under that claim, Mancini is said to have earned more from the consultancy work than from his job as City manager, leaving out bonuses and performance incentives. Manchester City are owned by Abu Dhabi investors, which is why the Abu Dhabi link sits at the centre of the allegation.
Mancini has not accepted the framing. "Found guilty of what?" he asked when pressed on the panel's decision, and he insisted the alleged second contract was not his concern.
Why Ghanaians are following this
The Premier League is the most widely watched football competition in Ghana and among Ghanaians living in the United States, and Manchester City are one of its biggest clubs. Any sanction heavy enough to affect points or squad spending would reshape the title race that Ghanaian fans follow week after week.
Mancini himself remains a familiar name to Ghanaian football audiences from his City years and his later work in international management.
For now, the key outstanding question is the penalty. Until the panel sets out what City must pay or forfeit, the practical effect of the ruling on the club, and on the league table, remains unknown.
