Manchester City’s Premier League case was carried into the wider European club conversation on Thursday, but Nasser Al-Khelaifi declined to add another verdict before the legal process reaches its end.
The European Football Clubs president said the organisation would not judge City while there is no final ruling. City were represented at the EFC assembly by chief executive Ferran Soriano.
Quick facts
- Manchester City attended the EFC assembly through chief executive Ferran Soriano.
- Nasser Al-Khelaifi said it was too soon for European clubs to take a position on City’s case.
- He described City as an important asset to the EFC, while stressing that the body is not there to act as a court.
- The Paris Saint-Germain president ruled out any interest in replacing Gianni Infantino as FIFA president.
- Al-Khelaifi also backed Florentino Perez and named three PSG players as his Ballon d’Or preferences.
Asked about the Premier League’s position on City, Al-Khelaifi said the EFC could not decide guilt or innocence from the outside. “We are not here to judge something without a final decision,” he said. “I am not a lawyer. It is more a Premier League matter.”
He acknowledged the competing claims around the case, saying that while City’s critics say the club cheated, City deny that allegation. His view was simple enough: wait for justice to deliver its conclusion.
“City bring added value to us,” Al-Khelaifi said. “But we are not judges and, for now, we are not in a position to judge.”
The PSG president also dismissed suggestions that he might seek the FIFA presidency. He said he had “zero interest” in the role and that leading the EFC remained his focus.
Al-Khelaifi called for a more constructive mood amid the continuing tensions in the game. “What we are seeing is sad,” he said, adding that football needed a positive approach if it was to change.
There was a notably warm word, too, for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, despite the long-running political fault lines around European football. Al-Khelaifi said Perez and Madrid deserved greater respect, arguing that the Spaniard had done much for the sport and pointing to the club’s recent Champions League record.
He said the pair had found common ground quickly during a half-hour conversation.
On the Ballon d’Or, Al-Khelaifi kept his preference close to home. He said he wanted one of Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Fabián Ruiz to win, while accepting that former PSG forward Kylian Mbappé remains among the world’s finest players.
