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Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has weighed in on Manchester City's financial rules case, arguing that any proven breach that gave a club a competitive advantage would amount to "financial doping" and should bring meaningful sanctions.
An independent commission was reported to have found Manchester City responsible for over 114 charges related to financial rules. The English club has denied breaking the rules, as it has done previously, and is preparing to appeal the decision.
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Ilicali stopped short of declaring Manchester City guilty, pointing out that the club continues to maintain its innocence while the Premier League takes a different position.
"I am not saying they are guilty or not guilty because they say they are innocent. The Premier League thinks they are not innocent. If they are not innocent and they did something, it is no different from winning an Olympic medal by doping. At the end of the day, this is financial doping," Ilicali said.
The Hull City owner argued that breaking financial rules could directly affect competitive balance, particularly when large amounts of money allow clubs to bring in several leading players.
Ilicali said that if unfair conduct takes place in football, it should be punished accordingly, warning that a minor penalty could encourage others to take the same approach.
"Bringing in the best four or five players with huge amounts of money and breaking the rules does not look positive. If there is something unfair in football, it should be punished. If you give a small punishment, everyone will do it. For the clean future of football, if such situations occur, the necessary sanction should be applied," he said.
Turning to the financial differences between English clubs, Ilicali acknowledged that Hull City cannot match the budgets available to the country's richest teams but said clubs should not be allowed to widen that gap through rule breaches.
"It is not possible for us to have the budget of the top six or top 10 teams in England, but we respect that. Please do not widen the gap any further. Such mistakes give some teams incredible advantages, and that is not fair," he said.
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