PSG's Luis Enrique Says Man City Deserve Their Trophies as Sanctions Remain Undecided

Since an independent commission found Manchester City guilty on all but one of the Premier League's 115 charges, the sanctions question has hung over the club. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, it got a public defender from an unexpected seat: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique, whose side visits the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League today, Oct. 14.

"I think the trophies that you win on the pitch remain on the pitch and they deserve to win," Enrique said at his pre-match press conference. "I hope they can avoid that sanction."

He also said: "I think what they've done on the pitch has been incredible over the last few years and I think they certainly deserve to win on the pitch all the trophies that they have won."

What Enrique did and did not say

Enrique did not dispute that a process is under way. "There are authorities responsible for making that decision, and we have to wait," he said. He added that the club's fate rests on "what the authorities decide or the judge is going to say."

He framed his view as a football opinion. "If I speak only about football and the things that I saw on the pitch, Man City deserve those trophies," he said.

Enrique is a close friend and former Barcelona teammate of Pep Guardiola, who left City in May after a decade in charge. Asked whether he had spoken to Guardiola about the case, Enrique said: "The things I will say to Pep I will do in private."

The case against City

The commission's findings cover 2009 to 2018. The Premier League said City used "sham" commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19bn). City won three titles in that nine-year window, according to AP.

City have denied wrongdoing throughout and have appealed the verdict. Guardiola backed the club after the ruling, writing that he is "behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, [manager] Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters."

Defender Ruben Dias said the squad is tuning out the noise. "We trust the club, we're very calm and we're very focused on enjoying football," he said after City's 3-0 win at Liverpool on Sunday.

Possible penalties

The range of possible sanctions is wide: a large fine, a points deduction, relegation from the top flight, or the stripping of titles won during the period. AP reports that there have been calls for the trophies to be taken away.

Enrique's argument is a distinction between sporting results and financial compliance. The commission's findings concern the latter, and the penalty options on the table include removing the former. No sanction has been announced, and City's appeal is pending.

Context on both clubs

City are under Abu Dhabi ownership. PSG are Qatari-backed. Both clubs have previously been sanctioned by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations, according to AP.

PSG are back-to-back Champions League winners. City, under Enzo Maresca, have won all eight of their games in all competitions since he succeeded Guardiola.

Enrique played down any suggestion that tonight's match sets an early marker. "January is when you can really see the team's level," he said. "Five or six months down the line, things are so different."

Guardiola is set to return to the Etihad for the match. Whether City keep their titles depends on the appeal and on what penalty is eventually imposed. Neither has been settled.