Mancini washes his hands of Manchester City's financial scandal

They asked him about the matter and he answered with the calm of someone who has heard the question a thousand times before. Roberto Mancini, now Italy's head coach, isn't losing any sleep over his former club's legal troubles. The Italian distanced himself from reports suggesting that Manchester City had been found guilty by the Premier League of financial breaches allegedly committed during his time as the team's manager.

It all stems from information a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday: City were expected to be found guilty on the vast majority of the 115 charges for financial rule violations in its legal case against the Premier League. Among the alleged irregularities flagged by the English league in 2023 is that the club failed to disclose "full details of manager remuneration in relevant contracts with its manager" between 2009 and 2013, precisely the period when Mancini was in charge of the team and led it to its first league title in 44 years.

German outlet Der Spiegel went further with the numbers, reporting that Mancini received a base salary of £1.45 million along with another £1.75 million as a consultant for an Abu Dhabi based team controlled by Sheikh Mansour, City's owner. These are the so called "double contracts" that have come up repeatedly throughout the case.

Speaking at a press conference in Turkey on Sunday, ahead of Monday's UEFA Nations League match in Bursa, the Italian coach played down the issue and made clear this is no longer his fight.

"It's not a topic that concerns me. It's nothing new because this matter has been discussed for the last four or five years. Manchester City has not been found guilty, and the alleged double contract is not my problem. It's their issue, not mine."Roberto Mancini

City stops short of denying anything

What stands out is that the club itself, in a statement issued Friday, did not deny the guilty verdicts and simply noted that the process "remains ongoing." The Premier League, when contacted by ESPN, declined to comment, citing a "private and confidential process."

A day later, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued his own statement to try to cool down the controversy.

"Nothing has changed. Our confidence and our commitment to proving the club's innocence are as strong as they were when this began."Khaldoon Al Mubarak

While the sky blue club continues to deal with a case that has dragged on for years, Mancini prefers to look ahead with the Italian national team, which he returned to lead this summer for a second stint. His time in Manchester left behind very different memories from the ones surrounding him now: that Premier League title in the 2011-12 season and the 2011 FA Cup triumph, across four seasons that marked a turning point for the English club. As for the contracts and figures now under investigation, he says, let someone else deal with that.