Maresca backs Man City fully and vows to speak 'when we win the appeal'

Enzo Maresca has thrown his full support behind Manchester City in the wake of their guilty verdict on financial rule breaches, declaring there is “not another club in the world” where he would rather be and that he expects the club to win on appeal.

The Chelsea head coach — who served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City during the 2022/23 Treble-winning season — was speaking publicly for the first time since an independent panel confirmed City’s guilt in a 40-page document published roughly two weeks after the initial verdict broke. City have lodged an appeal, which is expected to be heard in the coming months.

Maresca, 46, was direct when asked whether the prospect of a guilty verdict would have deterred him from joining City as head coach last summer. “One hundred per cent, yes [I would still have joined],” he said. “I know the organisation from years ago. I know how serious they are. I know they do the right things. I would like to speak about this when we’re going to win the appeal.”

The Italian added that the charges did not come up during his contract negotiations and that he retains complete trust in the club’s leadership. “I trust the club because I trust the people and this is also the reason why I joined the club,” he said. “It wasn’t a problem for the club in that time and they are thinking in an honest way. I think they are convinced that at the end we’re going to win the appeal.”

Maresca was not employed by City during the period in which the financial rule breaches were found to have occurred, though his association with the 2022/23 Treble — a title widely viewed as tainted in light of the verdict — has drawn scrutiny. He flatly rejected the suggestion that the championship should be considered compromised, aligning himself firmly with the club’s position of innocence.

City continue to contest the findings and have maintained throughout that they did not breach Premier League financial rules. The appeal process is expected to unfold over the coming months, with the club’s standing in the league and the fate of titles won during the relevant period remaining unresolved.