PSG's Luis Enrique hopes Man City avoid sanctions

Manchester City's Luis Enrique hopes the club can avoid sanctions after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.

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Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique has expressed his hope that Manchester City can avoid sanctions after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. Enrique made the comments ahead of PSG's Champions League match against City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Enrique, a close friend and former Barcelona teammate of former City boss Pep Guardiola, said that City deserved to keep their trophies despite the charges. He stated, 'There are authorities responsible for making that decision, these decisions, and we have to wait, but if I speak only about football and the things that I saw on the pitch, Man City deserve those trophies.'

The Premier League found City guilty of using 'sham' commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million. City have denied wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict, which could result in punishments ranging from fines and a points deduction to relegation and potentially being stripped of their titles.

Enrique dismissed suggestions that Wednesday's match is the chance to lay down an early marker for either side, saying, 'January is when you can really see the team's level.' He added that many teams change significantly over the course of a season, making it difficult to judge a team's true level at this stage.

Enrique's comments come as City host PSG in their first home match since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. The match is set to be an interesting one, with Enrique describing it as 'a fun one to watch.'