Noel Gallagher has pleaded with Premier League bosses not to punish fans of Manchester City after the club was found guilty of 114 of 115 alleged breaches of financial rules. The Oasis star, who will tour with the band again next year, said whatever happens in the boardroom has nothing to do with supporters or players.
Gallagher, 59, said: "Whatever goes on in the boardroom, it's nothing to do with the supporters or the players. Our focus as fans is always on the pitch and we know what we saw. They won it on the pitch."
He added: "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."
Shock at guilty verdicts
Gallagher, who is friends with former City boss Pep Guardiola, said he was sad for the fans and players and surprised, as the club had denied all the charges. He said: "I'm sad for the fans and the players and a little surprised because all along the club reassured us and vehemently denied all the charges. It was a shock to hear we were guilty on all but one of them."
City won seven Premier League titles during the period the alleged breaches took place. The club, owned by Sheikh Mansour, is expected to appeal the verdicts, which were first reported on Friday after a three-and-a-half-year probe by an independent Premier League commission.
Compensation claims feared
At least four clubs, including Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool and Tottenham, have reportedly preserved their rights to claim compensation for loss of earnings under Section W of Premier League rules. Other clubs are understood to be taking legal advice about possible legal action.
Christian Purslow, who has held top executive roles at Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa, warned the verdicts could kick off a chain of events that would be "appalling for the game". He said: "It's a sort of 'where does this end?' because if you look at every single season - the nine seasons which we now know Manchester City breached rules - then all of their 19 Premier League rivals in that season, to differing extents, suffered easy-to-compute loss."
He added: "Whether it was a place in the Premier League - every place was worth £3million. Teams that came fifth who didn't make the Champions League maybe lost tens of millions of pounds - and of course teams that were relegated."
Appeal hopes and legal advice
Purslow said he hoped common sense would prevail and that there would be a comprehensive solution between the authorities and Manchester City. He said: "A never-ending waterfall of legal claims and uncertainties for another four or five years would be absolutely appalling for the game."
Gallagher's younger brother Liam, 54, wrote on X: "We'll win the appeal and all the WETWIPES from other clubs begging for our titles need to sit down... embarrassing."
The alleged breaches took place between the 2009-10 and 2022-23 seasons, during which time City won seven Premier League titles, a Champions League, three FA Cups and six League Cups. The most serious charges relate to claims the club failed to provide "accurate financial information" to the league, including inflating sponsorship revenue from connected companies and making other "off the books" payments.
Uefa previously found City in breach of financial fair play rules in 2014, resulting in a €20m fine. By 2020, Uefa had suspended City from the Champions League for "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts", but the suspension was overturned on appeal to the court of arbitration for sport.
The Premier League and Manchester City have so far refused to publicly confirm the latest alleged verdicts. A City spokesperson said: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the club's statement of February 2023."
