Van Dijk vows to speak on Man City's guilty verdict once appeal is settled

Virgil van Dijk has said he will “definitely share his comments” on Manchester City’s guilty verdict, but only after the club’s appeal against the independent commission’s ruling has been resolved.

City were recently found guilty of breaching 114 Premier League financial rules across a period spanning 2009 to 2018. Potential punishments range from points deductions to relegation or the stripping of titles, though City have lodged an appeal and continue to protest their innocence.

For Van Dijk, the verdict carries personal weight. The Dutch defender was part of the Liverpool sides that accumulated 97 points in 2019 and 92 points in 2022, yet finished second in the Premier League on both occasions — pipped by City squads assembled during the years the breaches are alleged to have taken place.

“The only thing I can say, because it’s ongoing, is that I have really enjoyed the rivalry,” Van Dijk told reporters. “But that is on the pitch — what has happened off the pitch is a totally different story. Because it’s still ongoing, it’s not a good idea for me to comment on this. When it’s properly settled I will definitely share my comments on it, but for now let’s wait and see.”

The context for his remarks was Sunday’s Premier League meeting at Anfield, where Liverpool supporters greeted City’s first appearance since the verdict with banners referencing the financial scandal. The atmosphere of protest, however, was followed by a difficult afternoon on the pitch: City won 3-0 in a dominant second-half display that kept them top of the table with six wins from six.

Van Dijk acknowledged the red card proved decisive. “Second half the red card changed the game, especially when you concede quickly afterwards,” he said. “We end up with 10 men and we concede quickly after, and it becomes a difficult game against them again.”

With City’s appeal set to extend the legal process further — years after the investigation first began — Van Dijk’s public comments on one of English football’s most consequential cases remain on hold for now.