Maresca confident Man City will win appeal against financial charges

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday that he fully believes the club will win its appeal after being found guilty of over 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

This was Maresca's first press conference since the shocking news last week. The Italian also dismissed any idea that City's success over the past 15 years is now stained.

“I completely trust the club,” Maresca said. He was appointed manager in June and previously worked under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.

“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 set up “sham” contracts with some of their commercial partners. This was to falsely boost revenues and reduce costs by over £900 million ($1.2 billion) from 2009 to 2018.

The 10-time English champions, who deny any wrongdoing, are appealing the decision. They could face a serious points penalty that might lead to relegation or even removal from the Premier League if they do not win the appeal.

“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,” Maresca said.

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

Since the Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008, City have been the top team in English football. They have won eight Premier League titles, the Champions League, and many other trophies in the last 15 years.

Maresca rejected the idea that these achievements are now tainted. “Absolutely not,” said the former Chelsea boss. “I know the effort from the players, from the club, from the manager at that time, who was Pep. So I know exactly the effort that the club put in to achieve those targets.”

Guardiola left at the end of last season after a decade full of trophies at the Etihad. City will visit Liverpool on Sunday for their first game since the guilty verdict, but Guardiola plans to attend their next home match 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 had a perfect start to his time in charge, winning all five Premier League matches so far and leading the table.

City are expected to face a tough crowd when they go to Anfield, the home of their rivals, but Maresca said his players will stay focused on the game.

“Probably it will be even warmer 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 good for the players. We are top of the league, so the players have all the reasons to be happy and excited.