Erling Haaland has called for Manchester City to "stick together" ahead of Sunday's Premier League match at Liverpool, the club's first game since an independent commission found them guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League rules.
The commission found that City had arranged "sham contracts" that allowed them to disguise secret funding of more than £830m between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. The club deny wrongdoing and have submitted an appeal, which will be heard before any sanctions — potentially including relegation, points deductions, a transfer ban and a large fine — are determined.
Haaland on facing Liverpool
Speaking ahead of the match, Haaland described the fixture as "special," recalling watching previous meetings between Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp during his time at Salzburg and Dortmund.
"It's always special to play against Liverpool," he said. "Especially with Pep and Klopp, I remember sitting in Salzburg and Dortmund and watching the games, how much they pushed each other. It's always special games there."
"I won there, I drew there, I lost. So it's always special, and every Premier League game is different, and every game against Liverpool is always special."
Call for togetherness
While not directly addressing the guilty verdict, Haaland acknowledged the difficult situation facing players and supporters and urged unity.
"We have to stick together," he told Sky Sports. "We have to stay with each other, and we have to stay positive. No matter what happens in life, we always have to have a smile."
"So we have to stay positive, look ahead, and try to win football games and try to enjoy the situation and win the game."
He added: "We have to stick together; we have to spread the love to each other. So yeah: stick together, and enjoy the ride and smile."
"I care a lot about the city, I have to say. I care a lot about the fans because I'm a fan myself, and I feel with them as well."
