Maresca Insists Man City’s Titles Are Not Tainted By 115-Charge Verdict

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has insisted the club’s titles are “absolutely not” tainted by the Premier League verdict that found them guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them.

Speaking at a news conference earlier today, October 9, Maresca reaffirmed his trust in the club’s owners and expressed confidence that City would win their appeal ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield.

Naija News reports that an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaches of the league’s financial regulations between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons. The findings included misleading accounts and ‘sham’ contracts allegedly used to conceal more than £830m in secret funding.

City have appealed against the verdict, claiming that the commission’s ruling contained “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe”.

Maresca rejected suggestions that the ruling had undermined the club’s achievements, insisting he knew “exactly the effort that the club put in to achieve” their titles.

“The reason I joined this club is that I completely trust, 100%, the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, all the organisation. So I don’t have doubt about that,” he said.

“I spoke with the club for sure. We all trust, and probably the right moment to speak about that is when we are going to win this appeal.”

The Italian stressed that his players would focus on their performances rather than the controversy surrounding the club.

“For me, the players, we can control just the pitch side, the football side. So we are focused on that. This is what we can do and what we can control,” he added.

Sunday’s trip to Liverpool will be City’s first match since the verdict was announced, and Maresca expects the atmosphere at Anfield to be particularly hostile.

“It will be a tough game, for sure. We need to be ready, the focus needs to be about the game, but we know the environment at Anfield,” he said.

“It probably will be worse because of the situation but, again, it will be our duty to do our best and try to win the game.”

Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola in June, has won his first five Premier League matches in charge. A victory over Liverpool would make him the fourth manager to win his opening six games in charge of a club in the competition.

He also confirmed that striker Erling Haaland was “ready” to face Liverpool after recovering from his efforts with Norway during the international break in Marbella.