Maresca: Man City titles 'absolutely not' tainted

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday at a news conference that the club's titles are "absolutely not" tainted after an independent commission found the club guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. Maresca has won each of his first five Premier League games in charge of Manchester City.

An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, and the club have appealed against the verdict. In a statement, the club said the commission's ruling contained "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe"; Maresca reiterated his faith in the club's owners and his belief they will win that appeal during a press conference dominated by questions on the matter.

Maresca rejected suggestions the club's titles were compromised and said he knows "exactly the effort that the club put in to achieve" them, speaking in a notably relaxed manner as he answered questions. He stressed that those inside the club understand the work that went into past successes and pushed back on any implication that recent findings should tarnish those accomplishments.

Preparing for their first match since the verdict, away to rivals Liverpool on Sunday, Maresca said in an in-house interview on Thursday the "feeling is fantastic" among his players and that they are not affected by "the noise" surrounding the club. He emphasised the squad's focus on match preparation despite the wider coverage of the commission's decision.

On the players' remit, Maresca said: "For me, the players - we can control just the pitch side, the football side. So we are focused on that. This is what we can do and what we can control." He underlined that the team are concentrating on their on-field responsibilities rather than off-field developments.

"The reason I joined this club is that I completely trust, 100%, the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, all the organisation. So I don't have doubt about that. I spoke with the club for sure. We all trust, and probably the right moment to speak about that is when we are going to win this appeal." The club have appealed the commission's ruling and City travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their first game since the verdict.