What Man City have told players about guilty verdict ahead of Liverpool clash
Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s agent has insisted that the club have ‘reassured’ players that there are ‘no problems’ after being found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges they were accused of by the Premier League following an independent commission hearing.
With the international break nearing its end, Premier League football returns this weekend, with City facing a daunting trip to Anfield, where they will face Liverpool in what will be the men’s team’s first fixture since the verdict was made public.
City boss Enzo Maresca will likely be forced to speak out on the topic during his press conference on October 9, with the matter likely to be a talking point throughout the weekend’s matches.
Donnarumma’s agent speaks out on Man City charges verdict
And ahead of gameweek six, Donnarumma’s agent has revealed what the club have told the players about the guilty verdict.
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Speaking to Radio Napoli Centrale, Enzo Raiola explained: “The Manchester City chaos, can it change anything? No, it will change nothing for us or for us. Every so often some story comes out. The club have spoken to Gigio; everyone is calm. Now there are important matches against Liverpool and PSG, then sporting justice will take its course. But Gigio has received reassurances from Manchester City.”
No City player has addressed the verdict as of yet, with Erling Haaland pulled from media duties while away with Norway last week.
What is the latest with Man City’s case?
After a lengthy independent commission hearing, City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. The charges relate to the period between 2009 and 2018 – a period in which City won three Premier League titles.
In a lengthy statement last week, the Premier League said City had used “sham” contracts to inflate revenue figures and reduce costs, as well as arranging disguised funding schemes worth more than £830million with commercial partners.
The commission also found City guilty of all but one of the charges relating to non-cooperation with the league’s investigation, saying that “a number of important club witnesses gave false evidence in key respects and that some knowingly gave untrue and dishonest evidence”.
City have appealed the verdict and maintain that they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists” to support their position.
The appeal will be heard by a three-person commission and is expected to last no more than 12 weeks. A result is expected within 30 days of its conclusion.
If the guilty verdict is upheld, City could face sanctions such as suspension from playing in the league, points deductions, the replaying of matches, expulsion from the league, being ordered to pay compensation to other clubs, automatic relegation and even the stripping of titles.
On Tuesday (October 6), BBC Sport reported that several Premier League clubs want City to be hit with both a “retrospective punishment” and a sanction for breaking the league’s rules.
At least four clubs believe a single points deduction would not be a sufficient punishment, with the idea of a “tariff-based system” put forward to compensate rivals based on where they may have finished in the league if City had not competed.
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Topics: Premier League, Football News, Man City
Luke Davies