Premier League Rivals React as Manchester City Faces Seismic Financial Verdict

Manchester City return to action in the Premier League at Liverpool on Sunday. The Premier League returns to action this weekend following the international football break, and since a ball was last kicked domestically in the English top flight, a seismic shock was sent around the world by the guilty verdict faced by Manchester City.

An independent commission found the team guilty of more than 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. City have continued to protest their innocence and have lodged an appeal, but if the decision is upheld, then points deductions, fines, transfer embargoes and relegation are all possible punishments for the club.

City manager Enzo Maresca has said he believes the appeal will be won, and none of the trophies claimed since the period the charges began are tainted. Al Jazeera Sport has collated the reaction of some of the managers, who were all speaking publicly for the first time since the verdict, starting with the club City face next when they travel to Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola stated: “I think uncertainty is not good for anyone, and anyone involved, but the process is ongoing, and we have to be patient like everyone else and see what happens at the end.”

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick shared: “I’ve got my own questions about it; it’s affected me personally in different ways over a period of time. What I will say, the sooner it gets sorted for everyone’s benefit is essential. There’s so many angles to look at, from so many different perspectives, but really speed is essential for everyone to be clear, to be able to deal with it, to be able to move on whatever happens. It’s unprecedented, a unique situation to be in, at this level with such a huge impact in so many ways.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta noted: “It is very important that we respect the process and the timelines; it is still an ongoing process because it has been appealed. My position, and I think the club’s position, is to not make any comment until the appeal is fully resolved. In our hands is the way we have prepared since the international break to set the club up to win.”

Everton manager David Moyes expressed: “It looks terrible that Everton have been docked points and had to pay fines, and this was not so long ago, but there are other things going on that were more than 10 years ago and have not been dealt, which I find really difficult, in relation to the sanctions Everton faced, including being docked 10 points. Their charges related to breaches of financial sustainability rules between 2019 and 2022. I hope it is not just Everton that are being picked on. Manchester City have helped raise the level of the Premier League by the football they have played, their manager and the players they have had. We all had to park the bus, because they were that good and everybody used to say: ‘Why are you not having a go?’ – it was tough. But they were such a good side, and it was great times to play against Pep’s teams because they had so many good players.”

Chelsea manager Xavi Alonso concluded: “We need to be patient and wait until the final sanctions from the panel; they are independent enough to assess the situation. Whatever I say and whatever opinion we have, they are the ones to take it, and we need to respect it. It is not in our hands; let’s see what happens, and then we need to respect it.”