Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said he believes the club will win its appeal after it was found guilty on all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
The Premier League announced its findings on Sept. 29. Should City's appeal fail, the club could face a host of potential sanctions including relegation, points deductions, stripping titles and even a forced sale from the club's Abu Dhabi-based owners.
But at a press conference on Friday, Oct. 9, Maresca was defiant, indicating his trust in the club and his belief that it would win its appeal.
"The reason I joined this club is that I completely trust, 100%, the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, all the organization. So I don't have doubt about that,"
said Maresca.
"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."
The Italian manager, who is in his first season at the Etihad, also insisted that he would have still accepted the position had the findings been published prior to him taking over.
Asked if he could have taken the job if the verdict had been released earlier, Maresca said "100%, yes."
"We didn't speak about that because I don't think it was a problem for the club at the time and I think they are thinking in an honest way," Maresca added.
"I think they are convinced that in the end we are going to win the appeal."
Between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, an independent commission found Manchester City had engaged in both "sham contracts" and "sham commercial deals" which were meant to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs.
Between this period, the Citizens won three Premier League titles (2011-12, 2013-14 and 2017-18). In addition, the club won three EFL Cups, one FA Cup and one Community Shield.
Asked if the club's titles had been tainted, Maresca replied: "Absolutely not."
"The last time I was here was the Treble season and I know the effort from the players, the club, the manager. I know the effort that the club put to achieve that kind of target so I don't have any doubt about that."
Maresca was an assistant at City between 2022 and 2023.
This season, Manchester City has won all five of its league matches and is currently first in the table.
After clubs took a break due to the international window, the Cityzens return to league action on Sunday when they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Defiant Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca says club will win appeal after guilty verdict
