Former Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry has argued that stripping Manchester City of their titles will not diminish the quality of the players the Cityzens had during the periods in question.
City are currently awaiting the hearing of their appeal following their conviction on all but one of the financial violation charges in their dispute with the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s squad has faced considerable speculation, scrutiny and criticism following the announcement during the international break.
The timeline for the hearing has begun after City appealed the independent commission’s ruling, which favoured the Premier League on 114 counts.
With City having played their first Champions League game, a 4-2 home defeat to PSG on Wednesday, Henry was asked about the situation.
The former France international told CBS Sports: “I feel sorry for them because it has nothing to do with them; they don’t know what happened.
“Whatever the outcome or punishment, it’s not what I believe, but it’s always going to be, ‘Ah, did you really win?’ That’s unfair to those guys. Vincent Kompany was a hell of a player; Kevin De Bruyne was a hell of a player.
“There is a procedure that we have to respect. The facts are the facts. Yes, when they’ve been found guilty and when you appeal, it doesn’t erase everything, but it gives hope that maybe you might not be guilty.”