Manchester City Manager Enzo Maresca Expresses Full Confidence in Successful Appeal Over Financial Rule Breaches

Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says he has absolute faith the club will win its appeal after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

In his first news conference since the bombshell announcement last week, the Italian on Friday also rejected any suggestion that City’s haul of silverware over the past 15 years was now tainted.

“I completely trust the club,” said Maresca, who was appointed manager in June but also previously worked at City as part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff. “I trust the club because I trust the people, and this is also the reason why I joined the club. … There is not another club in the world where I would like to be.”

An independent commission found that City had arranged “sham” contracts with a number of their commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.2bn) over nine seasons from 2009 to 2018. The 10-time English champions, who continue to deny any wrongdoing, are appealing against the judgement and likely face a severe points penalty if they fail to overturn the verdict.

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

Since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008, City have become the dominant force in English football, winning eight Premier League titles, the Champions League, and multiple other trophies. Maresca rejected the suggestion that those previous successes were now tainted, praising the effort put in by players, the club, and former manager Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season after a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad Stadium. City travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their first outing since the guilty finding, and Guardiola is set to attend their next home game against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Maresca acknowledged that his side will likely face a hostile reception when they travel to Anfield, but emphasized that his players remain focused and excited as they sit at the top of the league.