LONDON — Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca said Friday 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 press conference since the bombshell announcement last week, the Italian 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 the Etihad 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 City had arranged “sham” contracts with a number of their commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by over £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, are appealing against the judgement.
They likely face a severe points penalty that could lead to relegation or even expulsion from the Premier League 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,” said Maresca according to AFP.
“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.”
Guardiola support
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 multiple other trophies over the past 15 years.
Maresca rejected the suggestion that those successes were now tainted.
“Absolutely not,” said the former Chelsea boss. “I know the effort from the players, from the club, from the manager in that time that was Pep. So I know exactly the effort that the club put to achieve that kind of target.”
Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season after a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad.
City travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their first outing since the guilty verdict, but Guardiola is set to attend their next home game against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
“After 10 years here, he can come at any time he wants,” said Maresca. “I think it would be nice for him. It would be nice for the fans, for everyone.”
The new head coach has made a flawless start to his reign in charge, winning all five Premier League games so far to top the table.
City are set for a hostile reception when they travel to Anfield, the home of their fierce rivals, but Maresca said his players would stay focused on the match.
“Probably (it) will be even more warm in terms of environment. But the reason why I decided to be manager is for this kind of game,” he said.
“I’m not worried at all. Again, the environment is from the players, it’s nice. In this moment, we are top of the league, so the players have all the reasons to be happy and excited.”
