City add radio interview breach to their troubles after 3-0 demolition of Liverpool

Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, moving to the top of the Premier League table, but the result was quickly followed by reports that the club had breached league regulations by preventing manager Enzo Maresca from speaking with radio broadcasters after the final whistle.

The match itself was played in a charged atmosphere, with Liverpool supporters greeting City with boos, chants and banners referencing the club’s guilty verdict on 114 Premier League financial regulation violations. Chants of “You cheating b**s, you know what you are” rang out before kick-off, while banners inside the ground carried messages alluding to the ongoing legal saga.

On the pitch, City were clinical once the numerical advantage arrived. Ryan Gravenberch received a second yellow card on 62 minutes, and Erling Haaland broke the deadlock just three minutes later. Jeremy Doku doubled the lead three minutes after that, and Rayan Cherki sealed the result with approximately 10 minutes remaining.

Despite speaking to television broadcasters and attending a post-match press conference, Maresca reportedly did not make himself available for radio interviews — a requirement under the Premier League handbook. The rulebook states that each club must ensure radio broadcasters with transmission rights are permitted to interview at least one prominent player and the manager following every league match.

No specific punishment is outlined for such a breach, but the club is expected to face an administrative fine. The minor infraction arrives at a sensitive moment for City, who have submitted an appeal against their guilty verdict on 114 financial rule violations and could learn the outcome of that process as early as 2027. Should the appeal fail, the club faces a range of potential sanctions depending on how severely the league chooses to act.

Gary Neville, speaking over the weekend, suggested the Premier League’s handling of the broader financial case had damaged the competition’s credibility. “The word ‘sham’ was obviously used quite a lot,” the pundit said, “and people will think for the next few months…” — a sentiment that reflects the unease surrounding the sport’s governing structures as City’s legal battle continues.