Arsene Wenger's comments after Manchester City were handed a two-year ban by European football governing body, UEFA for Financial Fair Play rule breaches have resurfaced online.
Wenger's reaction from February 2020 has become a trending video after the Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that Man City are found guilty of seriously breaching financial rules.
The former Arsenal manager who is now FIFA's chief of global football development, stressed the importance of respecting rules in every aspect of the sport.
Man City, fortunately, won their appeal over the two-year ban from European club competitions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July 2020 and also had a reduced fine from €30 million to €10 million.
But it remains unclear what punishment City will face in the Premier League with the club confirming their decision to appeal the fresh charges before the October 2 deadline.
WENGER: SPORT IS BASICALLY TO WIN BY THE RULES
Wenger, ahead of the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards in Berlin, made a case for rules and regulations as the cornerstone for every sport.
The Frenchman highlighted the significance of the Financial Fair Play rules which must be respected by all participating teams.
"They bought all my players, yes. I think this is a deep question," Wenger was said in a video curled by Hayters TV. "Sport is basically to win by respecting the rules. That is what it is about.
"We celebrate all the best in every sport but we want to know that they [everyone] respects the rules.
"If there is no respect for the rules it is not real sport. That is what I think is the most important. The rules exist, you have to respect them.
"Once you go into a competition it means you sign that you will go into a competition respecting the rules."
Wenger at that time also called for the sanctions regarding FFP breaches should be created and visible for every stakeholder in the sport.
"I don't know the rule exactly well enough to see what kind of punishment has to be made when the rules are not respected," he added in the panel discussion that Fabio Capello, Ruud Gullit, Jill Ellis in attendance.
"They have not created that. It must be in the rule book. Somebody has not said 'let's do that'. No, this is certainly the sanction that is planned if the clubs don't respect the rules."
