Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has accused clubs of inflating their budgets as the fallout from Manchester City’s Premier League financial case continues to shake English football.
The Spaniard said ‘many other clubs have inflated their budgets’ while discussing the constraints faced by teams trying to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.
His comments came after an independent commission found City guilty of major financial breaches spanning nine seasons, including using commercial agreements to inflate revenue and disguise funding.
City have lodged an appeal against the commission’s findings, leaving the case unresolved.
The club has strongly disputed the verdict and says it will challenge it.
The Premier League commission found that more than £900million was involved in the alleged financial distortions, including £830.69m linked to commercial partnerships.
Emery, speaking to Spanish newspaper Diario de Sevilla, described the financial pressures felt across English football and said clubs had to sell players and carefully structure contracts to stay within the rules.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has accused clubs of inflating their budgets as the fallout from Manchester City’s Premier League financial case continues to shake English football
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“It’s an issue that was already known,” he said.
“Because we all have our restrictions, we have to sell players to comply with Financial Fair Play, we have to figure out how to draw up contracts with new people.
“Financial Fair Play seeks a financial balance so that what you generate is spent and there isn’t inflation.
Unai Emery admitted that Man City were ‘unmatched’ at times during Pep Guardiola’s spell in charge
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“Yes, many other clubs have inflated their budgets, and now it’s coming to light, and naturally there’s a decline.
“That’s something that the courts and those responsible will have to decide. I feel sorry because how that team played.
“With Guardiola, there were times when they were unmatched.”
The Villa boss is the first Premier League manager to speak about the commission’s ruling.
City’s appeal is expected to focus in part on the source of sponsorship money, with reports that the club will argue funds came from Abu Dhabi’s government rather than its owners.
The commission had concluded that some deals were partly funded by City’s ownership group.
Manchester City have been found guilty of breaking Premier League rules with the saga still ongoing | GETTY
The dispute has sharpened the debate over whether clubs with wealthy backers can spend more freely than rivals.
Villa are co-owned by billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, but the club’s spending remains tied to its revenues under financial regulations.
Villa have also faced UEFA scrutiny over their compliance with European rules.
That leaves similar clubs having to balance ambition with income from broadcasting, commercial deals and matchdays, while global brands such as Manchester United and Liverpool can draw on larger revenue streams.
Emery’s remarks followed a week for English football, with City’s case prompting questions about the credibility of financial controls and the scale of any eventual sanctions.
No punishment has yet been imposed, and the appeal process must run its course before the findings become final.
