PSG coach Luis Enrique says Manchester City deserved their trophies despite Premier League charges

The Premier League verdict

An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial rules. The commission concluded that the club had benefited from more than £900m in disguised funding during the nine years from 2009 to 2018. The findings describe sham payments that inflated revenue and reduced costs by more than £900 million ($1.19bn). The ruling came roughly three weeks before the press conference at which Luis Enrique was asked about it, and one report dates the decision to late September. City deny wrongdoing, have appealed the decision, and say they hold irrefutable evidence that they believe will overturn the original findings. No sanctions have been announced yet. Potential punishments include expulsion from the Premier League, relegation, or a large points deduction, and speculation has grown that City could be stripped of trophies won during the period under review.

Luis Enrique's response

Asked about the case at his pre-match press conference, PSG coach Luis Enrique, who is 56, said it was a surprise and that the process had to be respected. He said the authorities would make the decision and that the club would have to wait for it. He then argued that City deserved the trophies they had won on the pitch, praising the way the club plays football.

It is a surprise, but we need to respect the process and wait for the final decision.

In a separate remark reported in English-language coverage, he said City deserved the trophies they had won on the pitch and that he hoped the club could avoid the sanction. He added that he would speak to Pep Guardiola in private, since the two played together for Spain and Barcelona. Guardiola, who won 20 trophies in a decade in charge at City, will make his first return to the Etihad after standing down in the summer. Luis Enrique also played down the importance of the fixture, saying the European season is decided from spring onward and that the result would not reveal what follows.

They deserved to win that and I hope they can avoid the sanction.

City's record and the match

City have won 26 trophies in the last decade and a half, eight of them between 2009 and 2018, the period the commission examined. Under Guardiola they won 20 trophies, and the club also won the Champions League in 2023. Both teams opened their Champions League campaigns this season with wins, with City beating Porto 2-0 and PSG beating Slovan Bratislava 6-1. PSG, the back-to-back Champions League winners, visit the Etihad on 14 October, the first match at the stadium since the commission ruled against City.

1. Late September 2026Independent commission finds Manchester City guilty of 114 charges
2. Oct 14, 09:00 PMPSG face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League

What comes next

The sanctions have not been set, and City's appeal is still pending. Luis Enrique has said the final decision belongs to the authorities and to whoever will judge the case. Until a decision is announced, City keep the trophies they won and the commission's final ruling is still awaited.