Man City Financial Scandal: Maresca Expresses Confidence in Appeal Victory

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

Maresca made this known on Friday while speaking at his first press conference since the bombshell announcement last week.

The Italian, who was appointed manager in June but previously worked at the Etihad as part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff, also rejected suggestions that City’s collection of trophies over the past 15 years had been tainted.

Maresca said: “I completely trust the club.

“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 several of their commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million ($1.2 billion) over a nine-season period, between 2009 and 2018.

The 10-time English champions, who continue to deny any wrongdoing, have appealed the judgement.

They could face a severe points deduction that might lead to relegation or even expulsion from the Premier League if they fail to overturn the verdict.

‘We’ll Respect Due Process’: Man City Appeal Premier League Verdict
Maresca added: “The reason why I joined this club is because I completely trust 100 per cent the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, all the organisation. So I don’t have any doubt about that.

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

Since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008, City have become the dominant force in English football.

They have won eight Premier League titles, the Champions League and several other trophies over the past 15 years.
Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season after a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad.

City will travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their first outing since the guilty verdict, while Guardiola is expected to attend their next home game against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Wednesday.