Manchester City reportedly breached another Premier League regulation following their commanding 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, after manager Enzo Maresca failed to speak with radio broadcasters. City were met with a hostile atmosphere at Anfield in the wake of their guilty verdict on 114 Premier League financial regulations violations.
Hostile reception at Anfield
A chorus of boos and jeers rang out in the build-up to kick-off, accompanied by chants of "You cheating b******s, you know what you are," in a thinly-veiled jibe at the club amid their ongoing legal battle.
Supporters inside Anfield held aloft banners bearing the messages: "And after all you really robbed us all," and "All of your stars are fading away."
None of that, however, could halt the visitors from strolling to a convincing 3-0 triumph over their rivals, with Maresca's side swift to exploit a numerical advantage after Ryan Gravenberch collected a second yellow card, and subsequently a red, on 62 minutes.
Match details and rule violation
Erling Haaland broke the deadlock just three minutes after Gravenberch's dismissal, before Jeremy Doku added a second just three minutes later. Rayan Cherki put the result beyond doubt with approximately 10 minutes remaining, as City headed back to Greater Manchester with all three points, maintaining their position at the summit of the Premier League table.
And while the club have submitted an appeal as they continue to contest their innocence, City will find themselves unable to escape a rule violation committed in the aftermath of Sunday's clash at Anfield. According to the Express, the club did not allow permit Maresca to speak with radio broadcasters after the match, despite engaging with the likes of Sky Sports and attending a post-match press conference.
Premier League handbook and potential fine
According to the Premier League handbook, "Each club participating in a league match must ensure that each radio broadcaster that has the right to the radio transmission of that league match is permitted to interview (a) at least one player who featured prominently in the league match and (b) the manager, following the league match."
While there is no specific punishment which the Premier League can impose on City for the breach, it is anticipated that the club will face an administrative fine for avoiding radio interviews. This comes as City could discover their fate regarding their breaches of the Premier League's financial rules in early 2027. Should their appeal be unsuccessful, then the club could be hit with a series of sanctions, depending on how severely the league chooses to penalise them.
Gary Neville's reaction
However, according to Gary Neville, the English top flight is in disarray due to the ongoing saga. Speaking on Sky Sports at the weekend, the pundit said: "The word 'sham' was obviously used quite a lot, and people will think for the next few months it's a sham league. You know, we've heard the word 'cheats' just ring around the ground, basically for the last 10 minutes of the match."
"We've heard Liverpool fans singing 'going down' to a team that are at the very top of the league. And you can't get that negativity out of your heads."
"I mean, what you can do is admire the football, we can admire Erling Haaland and Doku, and the finishes we've seen and the Cherki goal, and the Manchester City fans can celebrate behind the goal. But for the rest of us, we're sat there wondering basically what's going to happen. And yeah, it's damaging. It really is, right now."
