Mourinho jokes he may be dead before final verdict in Man City financial case

Jose Mourinho has responded with his usual sarcasm to the long-running legal dispute between Manchester City and the Premier League. The Portuguese coach, who managed Manchester United from 2016 to 2018, joked that he and others involved may not be around to see the final outcome, after the club filed an official appeal against the ruling that found it guilty of serious financial breaches.

• Manchester City were found guilty of all financial charges brought by the Premier League.
• The club has submitted an official appeal and denies any wrongdoing.
• The Premier League says City inflated revenue and understated costs by more than £900 million.
• Mourinho joked he may not live to see the final verdict.
• City are top with a perfect record and travel to Anfield on Sunday.

Manchester City's guilty verdict and the official appeal

An independent commission ruled that Manchester City breached Premier League financial regulations in every instance between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The club was also found guilty of three out of four charges relating to a failure to cooperate with the investigation. City insist they have done nothing wrong and have now formalised their appeal.

According to the Premier League, City relied on sham commercial agreements to artificially boost revenue and reduce costs by more than £900 million, around $1.19 billion, over nearly a decade. That practice led to inaccurate financial reporting and breaches of the competition's spending rules.

Mourinho's joke about his age and the length of the process

Asked about the case during an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho chose to make light of the situation. Rather than offering a technical analysis, he laughed at the slow pace that typically accompanies legal battles of this magnitude.

I would rather laugh about it. I think we will eventually get an ending, but we are both in our 60s and we'll need to be lucky enough to still be around when the final verdict arrives. There will be a verdict, then appeals, then more appeals.

The appeal process will take place in private. It remains unclear whether any sanctions would be handed down before it is heard, or whether any punishment would take immediate effect.

Mourinho's history against Guardiola's dominant City side

Mourinho knows City's dominance in the Premier League first-hand. As Manchester United manager, he guided the club to a second-placed finish in 2017-18, behind Pep Guardiola's champions. That season, City won the title by a comfortable margin and set new points records in the English top flight.

Man City lead the Premier League with a perfect record before Anfield trip

While the case continues away from the pitch, the team remains flawless on it. Manchester City have taken maximum points from their opening five Premier League matches and sit three points clear of defending champions Arsenal at the top of the table.

On Sunday they face one of the toughest away fixtures of the season with a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool. It is likely to be the biggest test of Enzo Maresca's short reign so far.

Maresca relaxed ahead of first media appearance since the verdict

Maresca is scheduled to speak to the media on Friday in his first public appearance since the guilty verdict was announced. The Italian coach will offer his thoughts ahead of the Liverpool match.

On Thursday, as the squad returned to training following the international break, Maresca appeared at ease. He was seen smiling and giving a thumbs-up to journalists as he arrived at the club's training ground, an image of normality amid the legal noise surrounding the club.

Frequently asked questions about the Manchester City case