Manchester City celebrity superfan Noel Gallagher has said he is “shocked and saddened” over reports of the club being found guilty of the majority of their Premier League charges for breaching financial rules.
The Athletic first reported on Friday that, 22 months after the hearing concluded, an independent three-person commission had found City guilty of all but one of the 115 charges covering the period between 2009-2018. The charges were first brought against them by the Premier League in February 2023 following a four-year investigation.
Gallagher speaks out on podcast
City, who strongly deny all the charges against them, are expected to appeal against the verdict, which has not yet been publicly confirmed. Speaking on the reported ruling on the latest edition of the ‘Let Me Talk’ podcast, a programme on City hosted by journalist Sam Lee and broadcaster David Mooney, musician Gallagher admitted his surprise.
The Oasis star, along with brother Liam, is a lifelong City supporter and a regular at the Etihad Stadium, having been likewise at the old Maine Road and also seen in the stands at away matches, including the recent controversial Manchester derby win at Old Trafford.
Reaction to the reported verdict
“A little surprised when I heard it on the radio this afternoon,” Gallagher said. “Surprised because only that the club have assured us all along that they vehemently denied any of these charges.
“So it was a bit of a shock to find out that we’ve been found guilty of all but one. But really overall just quite sad really. Sad for the fans and for the players.”
Gallagher was then asked if the reported verdicts changed the context or made him feel differently about moments such as Sergio Aguero’s iconic last-gasp goal against QPR at the Etihad in 2012 that clinched the Premier League title in memorable fashion.
Fans' focus remains on the pitch
“Our focus as fans is always on the pitch and we know what we saw. We know what we saw, they won it on the pitch,” he responded.
“Whatever goes on in the boardroom, it’s nothing to do with the supporters or the players. The players won that game and won that title on the pitch.
“No whether some of those players should have been there or not, that’s nothing to do with the fans. We were there, we know what we saw.
“Does it taint it? I suppose in the eyes of everybody else in England it would, but I know what I saw and I know what I felt.”
