'I'm not going to be an Ian Holloway and spout off to get a headline. Steve Evans don't need a headline. Maybe Ian does.'

Bristol Rovers manager Steve Evans discussed the current situation involving Manchester City, who were recently found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

He also said, 'I'm not going to be an Ian Holloway and spout off to get a headline,' in reference to Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway's comments regarding the recent guilty verdict for City by an independent commission, which the eight-time Premier League winners have since appealed.

Last week, Holloway said: "You're a disgrace. You've tarred it so badly. For me, it's absolutely too late now. I would take everything away from every single one of them and make them start again. Right now.

"It's a disgrace and they're still not owning up to it. What type of people do they want to actually be?

"Is that [Pep Guardiola], did he know it was happening. No, I don't think he knew that. It's the people at the very, very top who are trying to cheat this game and I would throw them out.

"Why have they still got the company? Why do they still own it? Why do they still do that? Get lost.

"How dare you ruin what's part of our country, our DNA in this country, without a shadow of a doubt. Honestly, every one of us, mining villages... why it all started, who knows, but it's all about a team and believing that you can be fairly better than someone else.

"And they've gone and ruined it, right at the top of the game. Absolute disgrace."

At Friday's press conference, Evans discussed City's situation and Holloway's recent remarks, telling Bristol Live, "I think I don't know enough about what the panel's listened to. I think no one has seen the written reasons yet.

"I think every journalist in the country, including yourself, is waiting for those written reasons to have a strong opinion. Manchester City have quite been strong in saying that they have evidence to show that their charges shouldn't have been proven.

"So I think, like in any situation in life, like that, you have to let the reasons come out and let Manchester City present their alternative evidence and then see what the panel thinks.

"I don't know who's on the panel, I don't think anyone does, but when you know it's KCs of the highest order, then you know that those gentlemen or those ladies will have made those decisions very honestly, and that's what you'd expect from the Football Association.

"They'll want it to be done and the Premier League with the greatest integrity. So let's see where it runs. I'm not going to be an Ian Holloway and spout off to get a headline. Steve Evans don't need a headline. Maybe Ian does."

The independent commission was made up of a three-person panel, who delivered the guilty verdict, who found, as per the Premier League's statement on September 29, that "Manchester City arranged 'sham' contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs."

The 'artificially inflated' revenue amounted to around £900 million between 2009 and 2018.

If City lose their appeal and the verdict is upheld, the club could face significant punishment, including points deductions, stripped titles, and even expulsion from the English top flight.