
Mancini refers to âÂÂdoubleâ Manchester City contract and says it âÂÂisnâÂÂt my problemâÂÂ
Coach alleged to have been paid for advisory work
Mancini says City âÂÂnot guiltyâ after Premier League ruling
Roberto Mancini appeared to acknowledge he had âÂÂa double contractâ when he managed Manchester City after the club were found guilty of breaching the Premier LeagueâÂÂs financial rules.
But Mancini, who in 2011-12 coached City to their first Premier League title in a half century and is now in charge of Italy, also said that what is developing potentially into the biggest scandal in English football history was âÂÂnot a problem that concerns meâÂÂ.
Among the raft of charges that City faced is an alleged failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The German magazine Der Spiegel in 2018 published evidence showing that Mancini doubled his base salary of ã1.45m for advising a club in Abu Dhabi.
Mancini led City to their first titles after Abu DhabiâÂÂs ruling family bought the club in 2008, also winning the FA Cup in 2011. He was fired by City days after a shocking loss to Wigan in the FA Cup final in 2013.
Mancini was asked about his contract with City at ItalyâÂÂs news conference in Turkey before a Nations League match on Monday.
âÂÂItâÂÂs not a problem that concerns me,â Mancini said. âÂÂAnyhow, itâÂÂs not something new, because every four or five years this comes up. Manchester City is not guilty and the fact of having a double contract isnâÂÂt my problem but theirs, probably.âÂÂ
City said on Friday that their case with the Premier League was âÂÂongoing.â They have always denied wrongdoing and the chair, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, restated that stance in a letter to fans on Saturday.
âÂÂThe Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the clubâÂÂs innocence is just as strong as when this began,â he said.
