Manchester City have spoken publicly for the first time since being found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges brought against them. Their message concerned Erling Haaland's recent success rather than the verdict itself.
The guilty verdict was delivered on all but one of the charges, which accused City of breaching the Premier League's financial regulations. No sanction has been decided, but possible punishments include relegation, a points deduction or expulsion from the top flight.
City's first public statement
Minutes after the verdict was revealed, City posted a statement on their website confirming that Haaland had been voted the club's Player of the Month for September. The Norwegian won 44 per cent of the votes, ahead of Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson, who finished second and third respectively.
Haaland scored in each of City's four games before the international break. The club's statement detailed his contributions across those matches.
Haaland's September scoring run
City wrote: "Erling Haaland has been voted Etihad Player of the Month for September. Haaland won the award with 44% of the vote from second place Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson in third spot."
"Our No.9 scored in all four games he featured in during September. He bagged the only goal in our 1-0 win over Coventry City, heading home just shy of the half hour mark."
"The Norwegian then followed that up with a brace in our 2-0 victory away at FC Porto as we began our UEFA Champions League campaign in style."
"From there, he notched the winner in our 1-0 triumph against United at Old Trafford in the 199th Manchester derby."
Vote details and next steps
"Haaland sat out the 5-0 Carabao Cup success over Norwich City but returned with the crucial final goal in a free-scoring 5-3 victory over Sunderland."
"He follows in the footsteps of Rayan Cherki who was voted the August winner in the inaugural vote of the 2026/27 campaign. Congratulations to Erling on this latest award."
The statement marks City's first public response to the verdict, with the club yet to comment on the charges or the potential sanctions that could follow.
