The facts
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresma told a Friday news conference that the club’s titles are “absolutely not” tainted despite an independent commission finding the club guilty of the majority of 115 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009‑10 and 2017‑18 seasons. Maresma said he has “100 %” trust in the owners, CEO and sporting director and believes the appeal will succeed. He added that the charges were not discussed when he was appointed in June and that he would have taken the job regardless of the findings. Maresma noted the team’s focus is on the pitch and that the upcoming league match at Liverpool will be “tough” because of the hostile atmosphere. Former City captain Vincent Kompany, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola and Chelsea’s Xabi Alonso all urged patience while the appeal proceeds.
Our take
Alright, buckle the fuck up because this is the kind of drama that makes a soap opera look like a schoolyard squabble. Maresma steps up, eyes gleaming, and tells the world that City’s silverware is as pure as a newborn’s first breath – even though an independent panel has basically handed the club a 115‑point shopping list of financial sins. The manager’s confidence is a masterclass in selective optimism: I trust the owners 100 %, he says, as if trusting a bank that just got caught with a hidden vault of £830 million. The irony is delicious – the very people he praises are the ones the commission says engineered a “sham” contract scheme to hide that money. Yet Maresma’s mantra is simple: We control the pitch, not the spreadsheets. It’s a line that would make a magician blush, because the real magic here is how easily the narrative can be rewired when the stakes are trophies, not truth. The upcoming Anfield clash is billed as a “tough game” – a polite way of saying the fans will probably chant something that makes the club’s legal team wince. Kompany’s pride in on‑field achievements, Arteta’s echo of titles are not tainted, and the calm pleas from Iraola and Alonso to “be patient” all serve as a chorus of denial, each note tuned to the same frequency: keep the cash flowing, keep the fans cheering, and keep the appeal alive. It’s a high‑stakes game of poker where the cards are financial statements and the chips are Premier League titles. The real question isn’t whether City will win on the field – they already have – but whether they can win the legal battle without turning the entire league into a courtroom drama. Until the verdict is finally sealed, the club will keep polishing its trophies, hoping the shine masks the dents underneath. And for the rest of us, it’s a reminder that in modern football, the line between sport and corporate skullduggery is thinner than a freshly cut blade of grass. The only thing louder than the chants at Anfield will be the echo of a profanity‑laden take that refuses to sugar‑coat the mess: this whole saga is a massive, glitter‑covered clusterfuck.
