Lampard declines to comment on Manchester City case: ‘I have my own work and problems’

Frank Lampard has refused to be drawn into the case involving his former club Manchester City, saying it is not his role to discuss a possible punishment while the club’s appeal remains unresolved.

Lampard spent one season with Manchester City after joining from New York City on loan in the summer of 2014. He made 38 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals and providing three assists.

Asked about the case by The Athletic, Coventry City manager Lampard said: “I don’t have an opinion on it at the moment.”

The Football Association has issued a statement regarding the decision to find Manchester City guilty, saying it will continue to “monitor developments”.

Lampard said he did not want to become involved in the wider debate surrounding the case, pointing to the effort required from players to win major honours.

“Most players who have played and competed against the best players have worked extremely hard to win,” he said.

“So I think it would be extremely difficult to take a player’s title away, because those competitions should remain in their memory, rather than in a nice glass cabinet or anything like that.”

Lampard added: “All these discussions are taking place now, and I don’t want to be part of them. When I was a player, I was focused only on football and on playing alongside great team-mates.

“My time within the City Football Group was a very interesting period for me.”

Manchester City are appealing against the decision, and Lampard said that meant it was too early for him to offer a view on what might happen.

“Manchester City are appealing against the decision, so what can I say while the appeal is still ongoing?” he said.

“I played for City a long time ago, for one year. We will wait and see what the outcome is.”

Lampard, who is now in charge of Coventry City in the English Premier League, said his attention was firmly on his current responsibilities.

“I’m outside that circle. I have my own work and my own problems,” he said.

“It is not my place or my job to talk about the punishment.”

Coventry City are 18th in the English Premier League table with three points. They are preparing to face Newcastle on Monday in the sixth round of the competition.