Enzo Maresca defends Man City after guilty Premier League verdict

Enzo Maresca Defiant as Manchester City Charges Cast Shadow Over Liverpool Clash Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca has gone early and gone hard. After the independent commission found the club guilty on the majority of the Premier League charges brought against them, he says City's titles are "absolutely not" tainted.

That is his line, and he is sticking to it. There was no hedging, no careful retreat into legal jargon, no attempt to dodge the obvious.

Maresca made it clear he trusts the hierarchy above him and believes City will overturn the ruling on appeal. "The reason I joined this club is that I completely trust, 100%, the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, all the organisation.

So I don't have doubt about that." That matters because this is not some passing off-field nuisance. The commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

The ruling includes allegations of sham contracts and misleading accounts linked to disguised secret funding worth more than £830m. City have appealed and stated that the verdict contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe".

Manchester City stance remains blunt Maresca's position is simple. He trusts the club, believes the appeal will succeed and sees his remit as football, not finance.

"I spoke with the club for sure. We all trust, and probably the right moment to speak about that is when we are going to win this appeal.

It is direct, which is probably the point. City need unity, a clean internal message and as little visible panic as possible.

Maresca is giving them exactly that."