da prosport bet： Noel Gallagher says Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players "aren't cheats", while responding to the 115 charges levelled against the club.
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Man City hit with 115 Premier League chargesCity deny charges of alleged financial irregularitiesNoel Gallagher defends Guardiola & the playersWHAT HAPPENED?
It's coming up to 18 months since the Premier League hit City with 115 charges for alleged financial irregularity – something they vehemently deny. And every time Guardiola's side win more silverware, most recently a record fourth-straight Premier League title, the doubters continue to mount. Now, ex-Oasis guitarist and City fan Gallagher has given his take on the matter.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT NOEL GALLAGHER SAID
He told The Athletic: “It’s a tough one with City. I was getting abuse at the Champions League final recently. They were Liverpool lads, my age, late fifties, calling me a ‘cheating b*****d’.
“I was like, ‘You need to relax’. It (branding City as cheats) is a coping thing for fans of other clubs. When I talk about City, it’s not long before someone jumps in: ‘What about all these charges?’.
“The players aren’t cheats and neither is the manager. If the club have done whatever they are alleged to have done, that’s the club. But I don’t see why, when City have won four titles in a row and Pep has built two vastly different teams, it should hang over the team. And the team are astonishing.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
While Gallagher may have a point, much of City's success may be down to their alleged rule-breaking – giving them an unfair advantage. Therefore, there is always likely to be an asterisk especially when these charges are far more serious than financial fair play breaches from Nottingham Forest and Everton. They were hit with small points deductions but possible relegations and trophies being stripped could be on the cards for City.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Some reports suggest City and the footballing world will have to wait at least another year before any verdict is handed out. Part of the delay is the sheer number of charges and the fact that the financial allegations go as far back as 2009. This will rumble on for quite some time.