The former Manchester City goalkeeper has stated that he believes the club's chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, when he says the club is not guilty of breaching the rules of the Premier League. Hart made the comments to BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, as reported by the BBC.
Manchester City have been found guilty of 115 breaches of the financial rules for which they were charged by the Premier League. The club is set to appeal against the ruling. Al Mubarak has stated that he remains committed to "proving the club's innocence" and that the process "has a long way to go".
Hart, who made 348 appearances for City in all competitions between 2006 and 2016, described Al Mubarak as someone who had "led the club brilliantly" and was a person who could be "trusted". "I had no reason not to believe Khaldoon. What he said was enough for me," Hart said. "I liked the way he spoke. I liked the letter because it was from someone who cared about the club."
During his time at the club, Hart won the Premier League twice (2011-12 and 2013-14) and the League Cup (2013-14 and 2015-16) as well as the FA Cup (2010-11). He is 39 years old. He said that because there is "nothing concrete", one should let matters "play out".
Hart stressed that his achievements were not in any way tarnished. "If Manchester City are found guilty, which I do not believe given what Khaldoon has said, then conversations should take place," he said. "Currently I am very confident and very, very calm. I am very proud of what I have achieved and what we have achieved as a team. And that does not change."
The club has been accused of a wide range of rule breaches, primarily around claims that it inflated revenues from related sponsors and made payments outside the books to circumvent financial regulations. Hart said that he had not spoken to former team-mates about the news as he "cannot get involved in if, but and maybe".
"I did what I did. I lined up 11 against 11 and went on to the pitch. I won some matches, lost some, drew some, shook hands and left," Hart said. "I know what I did, I know what we did and I know how it happened. It did not feel as if we were scheming or plotting."
