Premier League owner compares Man City charges to Olympic doping in explosive warning

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has compared a club breaking football's financial rules to an athlete winning an Olympic medal after doping, as debate intensifies over Manchester City's 115 charges. Ilicali stressed that he was not declaring City guilty.

But he warned that, if breaches are ultimately proven, the punishment must be strong enough to stop other clubs gaining an unfair advantage. "If they are not innocent and they did something… I think [it is] not different than having doping and [winning] the Olympic medal," he told The 1904 Club podcast.

"This is financial doping at the end of the day." Stories Videos Your Say His comments follow reports that an independent commission has found City guilty of the vast majority of the charges brought by the Premier League. The findings have not been published, no sanction has been announced and City maintain their innocence.

The allegations cover a period in which City won three Premier League titles and eight trophies in total. They have prompted a fierce argument over whether any eventual punishment should affect the club's past honours as well as its future.

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has compared a club breaking football's financial rules to an athlete winning an Olympic medal after doping, as debate intensifies over Manchester City's 115 charges | PA Ilicali, whose Hull side are competing in the Premier League this season, said he did not know every detail of the case and would not reach his own verdict on City. His concern was the advantage any club could gain by spending beyond the rules.

"If you give a small punishment, then everybody will do it," he said. "For the future of football, and a clean future, this kind of thing, if it happens, should be punished." LATEST SPORTS NEWS: Man City's 115 charges saga takes fresh twist after CEO's warning behind closed doors FIFA accuses UEFA of 'harassment' in Gianni Infantino row over abandoned World Cup deal Luke Littler breaks silence after shock World Grand Prix exit with unexpected admission Man City could be stripped of the Premier League title they won in 2012 | PA The Turkish businessman argued that clubs with smaller budgets already face a substantial gap to the wealthiest sides.

Allowing anyone to widen it through rule-breaking, he said, would make that competition even less fair. "I like natural money in football," Ilicali added.

"

His intervention adds a Premier League owner's voice to a debate already drawing forceful reactions from former players and pundits. Graeme Souness has argued that City's trophies from the relevant period should not count if the allegations are upheld, while Piers Morgan has called for relegation and further points deductions."