Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique said Manchester City were deserving winners of their trophies and should be allowed to keep them, despite the English club facing sanctions after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
The Premier League said City had used “sham” commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million.
City, who have denied wrongdoing throughout the case and have appealed the verdict, could face punishments ranging from fines and a points deduction, to relegation and potentially being stripped of their titles.
Asked about the verdict before PSG’s Champions League match against City, Luis Enrique told a press conference on Tuesday: “The first thing when you hear that, it’s a surprise, but I think we need to respect the process and wait for the final decision.
“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.
“I love the way they play football, and after that, you have to wait (for the) last decision and nothing else … I think the trophies that you win on the pitch remains on the pitch, and they deserve to win that. I hope they can avoid that sanction.”
City host PSG at the Etihad Stadium later on Wednesday.