Kompany deflects on Man City guilty verdict while Maresca backs appeal

Vincent Kompany has distanced himself from Manchester City’s Premier League financial misconduct verdict, saying his focus is entirely on his work at Bayern Munich, while City’s current head coach Enzo Maresca has expressed full confidence in the club’s appeal.

An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. City have since appealed the ruling, claiming in a statement that it contained “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.”

Kompany, who joined City in 2008 and served as club captain from 2011 until his departure in 2019, was at the club throughout the entire period under scrutiny. Speaking on Friday, the Bayern Munich manager declined to engage with the specifics of the case. “I’m only thinking about my work at FC Bayern,” he said. “We have important games coming up, and that takes a lot of time. There’s not much time to think about other stuff.”

The Belgian added: “For me it’s simple, I played 11 years for the club and I’ve loved all the years I’ve played for the club. Everything we’ve achieved and done on the pitch I’m really proud of. Everything else, as a player you’re not a part of that. And right now as a coach of Bayern Munich I’m not too occupied with that topic.”

Maresca, also speaking on Friday, took a more direct stance in defence of the club. The Chelsea head coach said he trusts City’s ownership structure completely and is confident the appeal will succeed. “The reason why I joined this club is because I completely trust, 100 per cent, the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, the whole organisation. I don’t have any doubt about that,” he said.

Maresca also rejected the suggestion that trophies won during the period in question have been tainted. “Absolutely not. I know the effort from the players, the club and the manager at the time, Pep [Guardiola], so I don’t have any doubt about that.”

City’s appeal against the commission’s findings is ongoing, with the club maintaining they have not acted improperly.