Louis van Gaal claims Man City 'cheating' scandal cost him Man United job and caused him 'suffering'

Van Gaal believes City's alleged financial misconduct cost him his job at United. The Dutch manager was dismissed at the end of the 2015-16 season after missing out on Champions League qualification.

United finished fifth in the Premier League, losing the final qualification spot to City. Both Manchester clubs ended the campaign on 66 points, but Manuel Pellegrini's side secured fourth place through a superior goal difference.

The Premier League recently concluded that City's squad during this era was built using "sham" sponsorship deals. The regulatory panel found that the club artificially inflated revenues between 2009 and 2018.

The 75-year-old manager opened up about the personal toll of his Old Trafford exit. Van Gaal was sacked just 48 hours after winning the FA Cup, with Ed Woodward lining up Jose Mourinho as his replacement.

"For me, at the time, missing out on the Champions League in 2016 was probably the deciding factor in my dismissal from Manchester United," Van Gaal told The Athletic. "And all the consequences and suffering this entailed."

Van Gaal admitted his time in England would have ended happier in a fair competition. However, he accepts that the recent Premier League verdict on City comes too late to change his personal history. The margins between the two Manchester clubs during the 2015-16 season were incredibly tight. United actually boasted a superior head-to-head record against their local rivals that year.

Van Gaal oversaw a goalless draw at Old Trafford in the first derby of the campaign. Later in the season, Marcus Rashford scored the winner to give United a 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite these results, City squeezed out their cross-city rivals because their goal difference was 16 goals better. "I cannot turn back history now," Van Gaal noted. "Not even the English Football Association can do that."

City have firmly denied the allegations and immediately lodged an appeal against the Premier League's findings. The club maintains they possess a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence to clear their name.

English football is now waiting to discover the full extent of any potential punishments. The guilty verdict encompasses more than 100 disciplinary charges, making it one of the biggest cases in the sport's history.

When asked what sanctions City should face, Van Gaal offered a measured response. "Ultimately, that will have to be decided by the judge," he stated.