Manchester City were found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules on Friday. The club, originally charged in 2023, are expected to appeal the verdict from an independent panel, having maintained their innocence throughout the saga.
City have since responded publicly, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak releasing an open letter to fans at the weekend. He thanked them for their continued support while reiterating the club's position that no foul play has been committed.
Punishment stance
While some have urged more lenient penalties such as fines and transfer embargoes, others want heavy points deductions and expulsion from the league. Some have also called for City to be stripped of all titles won during the affected period.
That is due to the serious nature of the alleged charges, as well as City's failure to co-operate with the league during their investigation. However, any punishment is not expected to be decided until after the appeals process, with the Premier League keen on closing the case for good before making a final decision.
An appeal process means fans may face another lengthy wait to learn the severity of City's penalty, giving the club one last chance to clear their name.
CEO speaks out
As per the Times, Ferran Soriano has claimed more time will be needed for the case to be wrapped up. The club CEO was present at a meeting with Premier League officials on Monday.
There, he is understood to have taken a similar stance 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 declined to comment when asked by the media following the meeting, which took place in Copenhagen.
Erling Haaland wish
Erling Haaland is currently on international duty with Norway, with the team looking to protect the striker from the media to allow him to focus on the task at hand in the Nations League. Speaking about Haaland's absence from media 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."
That decision proved fruitful, as the 26-year-old was on form during Sunday's Nations League clash with Portugal, finding the back of the net for his country, albeit in a 2-1 loss.
