‎Emery drops major claim about Premier League rivals after Man City verdict

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has claimed that many Premier League clubs inflated their budgets as he reacted to the ongoing Manchester City scandal.

‎City have launched an appeal after a Premier League commission found them guilty of 114 of the 115 charges against them. The club was found to have used a “disguised funding scheme” between 2009 and 2018 to hide secret funding of more than £830million.

‎Reports have claim rival Premier League clubs want City to be punished harshly, given the extent of their financial breaches.

‎Emery has now become the first Premier League manager to comment publicly on the latest development.

The British newspaper headlines after Manchester City found guilty of breaches of Premier League financial rules on September 26, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

‎Asked by Diario de Sevilla what the impact would be on the Premier League, Emery replied: “It’s an issue that was already known. 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. 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 [Pep] Guardiola, there were times when they were unmatched.”

‎Back in June, Aston Villa were fined £19.4m by European football’s governing body, UEFA, for a “significant breach” of its squad-cost rule for 2025.

‎Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle were all also fined for breaches of UEFA’s rules, which differ to the Premier League’s.

‎Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules are designed to keep club’s spending in check and ensure their expenditure is broadly in line with what they are earning. By artificially increasing sponsorship deals, City were able to cheat the system.