Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said there was no club he would rather be at and that he would still have joined the club in the summer if the guilty verdict was already public knowledge. The City boss said he would rather discuss the process "when we win on appeal" but fronted up for questions after a bombshell few weeks.
Guilty verdict and appeal
News broke of City's guilt two weeks ago, and was confirmed three days later in a damning 40-page document produced by the independent panel. The club continue to insist on their innocence and have lodged an appeal that will be heard and judged in the coming months.
Maresca was not at the club for the period in which financial rules were broken, although was assistant to Pep Guardiola for the 2022/23 season where the team won a Treble that is now widely seen as tainted. The Italian flatly rejected that opinion - and also gave full backing to the club's position.
Manager's backing for the club
"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. I'm very happy to be, I'm very proud," he said.
Maresca only became head coach in summer but had no doubts about potential guilty verdicts when he joined. The 46-year-old said that the case didn't come up in negotiations and that he would still have taken the job if City had been found guilty.
"One hundred per cent, yes. I know the organisation from years ago. I know how serious they are. I know they do the right things. I would like to speak about this when we're going to win the appeal."
"It wasn't a problem for the club in that time and they are thinking in an honest way. I think they are convinced that at the end we're going to win the appeal."
