Soccer-Mourinho jokes Man City case may outlast him as club appeals verdict

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho joked that ​he may not live to see ​the end of Manchester City's ‌legal battle ​with the Premier League after the club appealed a ruling that found it guilty of serious financial rule breaches. An ‌independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as three of four charges ‌relating to failures to cooperate with the investigation. City have denied wrongdoing and lodged ‌an appeal.

The Premier League said that City used "sham" commercial agreements to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19 billion) over nearly a decade, resulting in inaccurate financial reporting and breaches ⁠of ​spending rules. Mourinho managed Manchester ⁠United from 2016-18 and led them to a second-placed Premier League finish behind Pep Guardiola's City in ⁠2017-18.

"I would rather laugh about it," Mourinho said, when asked about the case in an ​interview with Italy's Corriere dello Sport. "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 be conducted in private and it remains unclear whether any ⁠sanctions would be imposed before it is heard, or whether any punishment would take effect ⁠immediately.

City, seeking a ⁠sixth successive league win, are top of the Premier League with 15 points from five matches and travel to Liverpool on Sunday.