Man City's Al Mubarak hits out at critics over Premier League charges

Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak hits out at critics bringing up Treble winners’ 115 Premier League financial rule-break charges and urges a ‘focus on football’ as he claims they’re the world’s ‘No 1 football brand’

• City were charged with 115 counts of breaching Premier League financial rules
• They subsequently won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League
• Chairman Al Mubarak has been left ‘frustrated’ by critics’ perception of the club

Manchester City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has hit out at critics who claim the financial charges hanging over the club have diminished their success.

Pep Guardiola’s team claimed a historic Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League during a memorable season.

But the 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, announced in February, have overshadowed their achievements.

In an end-of-season address, Al Mubarak said he couldn’t speak specifically about the charges but said he’d give his ‘blunt views’ on the matter when proceedings are completed.

However, asked about how City have been characterised following the charges, Al Mubarak said: ‘It’s very frustrating because it takes so much from the great work that’s happening at the club and it’s happening not just on the football pitch.

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak says it is ‘frustrating’ the focus has been on the club’s alleged financial breaches rather than their successes

City completed the Treble when they won the Champions League final in Istanbul 

‘The football pitch – we talked about that, what these players have achieved this year, the Treble, is incredible.

‘I hope people focus and judge them for their football and what they’re achieving on the pitch and what they’re achieving in every competition they’re in. That’s the reality.

‘The club as a whole is well run, is very well run. Today, the value of this group is over six billion dollar We’ve created so much value – we’ve brought in world class investors.

‘Why? Because we have a commercial machine here that is one of the best in the world.

‘Our executives are being targeted by the best teams in the world – always. By the way – it’s a credit to us. I respect that. 

‘People appreciate that we are producing – not just the best talent on the pitch, not just the best talent in the academy, not just the best talent in the group, but we’re producing some of the best executives in the world, some of the best scouts in the world, some of the best sporting staff in the world. 

‘And that’s a testament to the great work that this group is doing. We’re the No 1 football brand in the world. These are the facts; these are the facts. 

‘The club generates a tremendous revenue. You look at our sales in terms of what we produce, in terms of from our academy, from our first team. 

Al Mubarak and manager Pep Guardiola parade the European Cup after the final in Istanbul

City are only the second club to achieve this particular Treble after Manchester United in 1999

‘Look at last year, I mean look at our net spend figures. We can go on for half an hour right now with me just giving you data in terms of net spend over the last season, net spend over the last three years, over the last five years, over the last ten years – look at every single one of them and just look at these as the facts and compare us to our competition and then people will throw at us ‘the biggest spenders’, ‘you have the biggest squad’. 

‘I wish people can just pause and ask the question and get the facts and then comment.’ 

Al Mubarak said the historic achievements of Guardiola’s team last season could be surpassed as he admitted thought have already turned to the next campaign.

‘Well, you always can top it because the future is the future and records are records and we as we’ve done every year, we keep building this legacy and building this incredible legacy every year with new achievements, new records, consistency,’ he said.

City’s owner Sheikh Mansour attended the Champions League final win over Inter Milan 

‘You look at next season, and guess what? Look what we have next year. Look what we have this summer, we have the Charity Shield, we have the Super Cup, we have the Club World Cup. 

‘For the first time, this club is going to be competing in the Super Cup and the Club World Cup. And we want to win these. We want to win these and we want to add them to the history of this great club, to the legacy of this great club. 

‘Everything we do is setting new records and new standards. Today I’m speaking to you. It’s amazing. But I’m already thinking about next year. 

‘Even yesterday, I think, you know, there was a joke between me and Ferran [Soriano, the CEO] and Txiki [Begiristain, the director of football] and Pep, when we had had our moment, we looked at each other and it was, okay, now we’ve got to do it again.’ 

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