Haaland lists his youth-team years to deflect Man City charges question on Norway duty

Erling Haaland deflected questions about Manchester City’s Premier League charges with a pointed recitation of his own youth-football career, speaking to Norwegian broadcaster TV2 after Norway’s 3-1 Nations League victory over Wales.

Haaland was asked about the independent commission’s finding that City are guilty of 114 charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules across nine seasons between 2009-10 and 2017-18. City are appealing the verdict and maintain their innocence. Rather than address the substance of the case, Haaland walked journalists through where he was playing at the time.

“The investigation covered 2009 to 2018,” he said. “In 2009, I played for Bryne U9s. In 2010, the U10s; in 2011, the U11s; 2012, the U12s.” He continued through each season before concluding: “So this is a question I struggle to answer because it’s a legal battle. It’s a case between the Premier League and Manchester City that a panel will deal with. Am I supposed to answer that? I’m not really sure.”

Haaland also noted that several Norwegian players — including Abdisalam Ibrahim, Martin Samuelsen, and Omar Elabdellaoui — were at City during the period in question, further underlining his own distance from the events under scrutiny.

When pressed on whether the ongoing situation affects his thinking about his future at the club, Haaland was direct. “I understand that you want a little headline here, but as I said, I signed a long-term contract in 2024,” he told TV2. “I’d say I made a pretty good choice by joining City in 2022.”

Haaland had signed an initial five-year deal with City in 2022 before extending to a new nine-and-a-half-year contract in late 2024. “I’m a City player, and I’m incredibly happy there,” he said. “I haven’t read much about it. To be completely honest, I’m focused on trying to perform for Manchester City.”

The striker had contributed a goal and an assist in Norway’s win over Wales before the post-match questioning turned to the situation at his club — a pattern that has followed several City players during the current international break.