Manchester City were found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules on Friday. The club, who were originally charged in 2023, are expected to appeal the verdict from an independent panel.
City have maintained their innocence throughout the entire saga. They have since broken their silence, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak releasing an open letter to supporters at the weekend. He expressed gratitude for their unwavering backing, while continuing to insist that the club have not engaged in any wrongdoing.
Punishment stance
While some have called for more lenient penalties such as fines and transfer bans, others are pushing for hefty points deductions and expulsion from the league. There have also been demands for City to be stripped of every title won during the period in question. This stems from the gravity of the charges levelled against them, as well as City's alleged failure to co-operate with the league throughout their investigation.
However, any sanctions are not expected to be handed down until after the appeals process concludes, with the Premier League determined to close the case entirely before reaching a final decision. An appeal process means supporters could face yet another lengthy wait to discover the full extent of City's punishment, granting the club one final opportunity to clear their name.
CEO speaks out
According to The Times, Ferran Soriano has indicated that considerably more time will be required before the case reaches its conclusion. The club's chief executive was present at a meeting with Premier League officials on Monday. There, he is understood to have adopted a broadly similar position to Al Mubarak in his defence of City.
He is reported to have told the meeting: "It has taken eight years to reach this point and it will still take much more time." Soriano also refused to speak to journalists when approached following the meeting, which took place in Copenhagen.
Erling Haaland wish
Erling Haaland is currently away on international duty with Norway, with the squad keen to shield the striker from media attention so he can fully concentrate on their Nations League campaign. Addressing Haaland's absence from press conferences last week, head coach Stale Solbakken said: "We naturally want him to focus and have the best possible conditions to prepare."
"As everyone knows, there have been external discussions in the past day, but that has nothing to do with the UEFA Nations League or what we'll do next. Rodri's press conference yesterday is a perfect example; it wasn't about the UEFA Nations League either. So I think Haaland should focus on his task now. His task is to score for Norway, and I think everyone agrees that's what matters most."
"That certainly needs to be considered (media access to Haaland). Making this decision now doesn't mean he won't attend future press conferences. It's just that right now, we've decided to arrange it this way. I think he can handle it [the noise surrounding his club while on international duty] well."
The call paid off, with the 26-year-old delivering an impressive performance in Sunday's Nations League encounter against Portugal, getting himself on the scoresheet - though it wasn't enough to prevent a 2-1 defeat.
