Unai Emery fears the ‘damage’ that football would suffer if clubs break its financial rules.Manchester City were found by a Premier League independent panel to have illegally pumped in more than £900million to swerve financial rules, thanks largely to their ownership group topping up commercial partnerships to the tune of £830.69m. The club have appealed against the verdict.Now Aston Villa boss Emery has become the first Premier League boss to comment on the matter. Asked by Spanish publication Diario de Sevilla what might be the effect on the English top flight, Emery said: ‘It is an issue that has been publicly known about for a long time. We all have our restrictions: we have to sell players to comply with Financial Fair Play, and we have to work out how to structure contracts for new signings.‘The owners generally have considerable financial resources, but Financial Fair Play is intended to ensure financial balance, so that you spend what you generate and there is no artificial inflation. Unai Emery is the first Premier League boss to comment on Manchester City’s guilty verdict City are set to appeal their guilty verdict of breaching ‘all charges related to serious breaches’ of the Premier League’s financial regulations ‘If other clubs had been artificially inflated and that were now coming to light, there would obviously be some damage. That is something for the courts and the relevant authorities to decide.‘I feel sorry because of the way that team played. Under Guardiola, there were times when they were simply unmatched.’Daily Mail Sport reported on Thursday that City would attempt to prove their innocence by arguing that the government of Abu Dhabi – rather than the club’s owners – part-funded ‘sham’ sponsorship deals.Villa co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are billionaires but the club are currently on the naughty step with UEFA for breaching financial regulations.Clubs’ spending power is linked to revenue and despite their owners’ wealth, Villa do not have the same flexibility as global brands like Liverpool or Manchester United.Villa are in Marbella, Spain, for a three-day training camp and were due to face Emery’s old club Sevilla in a friendly on Friday.