MANCHESTER — Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has insisted the club's titles are "absolutely not" tainted after an independent commission found them guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. The Italian, speaking at a news conference on Friday dominated by the verdict, reiterated his complete faith in the club's owners and said he believes City will win their appeal.
Maresca, notably relaxed as he fielded questions, rejected any suggestion the honours were devalued, saying he knows "exactly the effort that the club put in to achieve" them. He added: "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. 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." He stressed his squad's focus remains narrow: "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."
The independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, including 'sham' contracts and misleading accounts as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830m. The club have appealed against the verdict and said in a statement the ruling contained "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe". Maresca said in an in-house interview on Thursday the "feeling is fantastic" among his players and they are not affected by "the noise" surrounding the club.
City prepare to play their first match since the verdict was announced away to rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Maresca, who has won each of his first five Premier League games in charge and could become only the fourth manager to win his first six of a spell in charge of a club in the competition, expects an even more hostile reception than usual. Asked about the atmosphere, he said: "I'm always concerned, not just Liverpool, I will also be concerned about Ipswich [in the following league game]. I know Anfield is a nice pitch, it will probably be even more warm because of the atmosphere, but the reason I decide to become manager is for this type of game." He also confirmed talisman Erling Haaland is "ready" to face Liverpool after recovering from his efforts for Norway during the international break in Marbella.
Appointed as Pep Guardiola's successor in June, the 46-year-old is in his third spell at City following time with the academy and as Guardiola's assistant coach, including during the Treble-winning 2022-23 campaign. The verdict comes after Guardiola broke his silence with defiance over the charges, with Maresca now tasked with shielding his in-form side from the fallout as they head to Merseyside.