Rodri confident in Manchester City innocence despite reported charges

LONDON - Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri backed the club to ultimately win a legal battle with the Premier League despite reports on Sept 25 that the English giants have been found guilty on 114 charges.

The ruling has not yet been published and no sanctions decided.

However, the news has already sent shockwaves through English football with speculation over whether City could be relegated via a severe points deduction or have previous titles stripped.

The club are accused of breaking regulations by failing to provide accurate information and details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaches of financial sustainability rules.

However, City were also initially found guilty by UEFA in 2020 of breaking financial fair play rules and given a two-year European ban before winning an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“We went through an identical process in 2020,” Rodri said at a press conference ahead of Spain’s Nations League clash against England on Sept 26.

“The club always reassured us that we would be cleared of wrongdoing, that we would face no penalties–because nothing improper had been done. We trusted the club, and ultimately, the club was acquitted.”

Rodri scored the winning goal when City won their only Champions League title in 2023, among 12 major trophies with the club.

“I have faith that the club, which I know very well, will be cleared, given the reassurance they gave us back then that they had done everything by the book.”

Rodri’s final two seasons at City were hampered by injuries, but he was back to his best at the World Cup to lead Spain to glory.

La Roja’s victory at Euro 2024 saw Rodri claim the Ballon d’Or that year, and he is again among the candidates to be named the world’s best player.

Unlike some of the other contenders, such as Kylian Mbappe and international team-mate Lamine Yamal, he does not believe in the need to openly promote his case for the award.

“Do you think I don’t want to win it? I know it’s an award that doesn’t depend on what you say publicly. It depends on what you’ve shown on the pitch,” said the 30-year-old.

“Individual titles are a reward for collective effort... nothing players like me have achieved makes sense without teammates.”

Despite winning two major tournaments in two years, Rodri insisted Spain “are hungry for more” as they begin their Nations League campaign in front of 90,000 at Wembley.