In Turkey, on the eve of Italy’s Nations League fixture, Roberto Mancini found himself answering for a chapter from his Manchester City years rather than the Azzurri’s next assignment. The Italy coach acknowledged having held two contracts while in charge at the English club, but insisted the arrangement and City’s wider financial case were not matters for him to resolve.
Key takeaways
- Mancini confirmed that he had a second contractual arrangement during his time as Manchester City manager.
- City face allegations over the disclosure of payments to players and coaching staff between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
- Documents published in 2018 indicated that Mancini’s £1.45 million basic City salary was effectively doubled through advisory work for an Abu Dhabi club.
- The Italian led City to the 2011 FA Cup and the 2011-12 Premier League title, their first league crown in 50 years.
- He was dismissed shortly after City’s unexpected 2013 FA Cup final defeat to Wigan.
A contract issue from the Abu Dhabi era
Mancini arrived at City during the first years of the club’s ownership by Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, who bought the club in 2008. His spell brought the first major silverware of the new era: the FA Cup in 2011, followed by the Premier League the next season.
That title ended a half-century wait for the league championship at City. Yet the period has returned to scrutiny because of the club’s long-running dispute with the Premier League, which includes allegations that information concerning remuneration for players and managers was not properly provided across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
In 2018, material published in Germany showed Mancini had a City base salary of £1.45 million, close to €2 million, alongside a consultancy agreement involving a club in Abu Dhabi. The combined arrangement was said to have doubled his basic earnings.
Mancini distances himself from City case
Asked about the issue during Italy’s press conference in Turkey, Mancini said it did not concern him personally. He said the subject was not new, noting that it had resurfaced repeatedly over the years.
The former City manager maintained that the club was not at fault, while adding that any question arising from the two-contract structure would be for City rather than himself. “It is not something that worries me,” he said in substance, arguing that the matter had been revisited every four or five years.
Mancini’s City tenure ended in May 2013, days after Wigan produced one of the great FA Cup final shocks to beat his side. The trophies from his time in Manchester remain central to City’s modern rise, even as the financial allegations surrounding that era continue to cast a shadow over English football’s most consequential club case.
