Man City verdict a big topic in England camp, Tuchel says

RIJEKA, Croatia, Oct 2 - Manchester City's guilty verdict for serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules has become a major topic of discussion in the England camp, manager Thomas Tuchel said before Saturday's Nations League match against Croatia.

City were found guilty by an independent commission of all charges relating to financial rule breaches over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, as well as three of four charges concerning failures to cooperate with the investigation.

The club, who have denied wrongdoing throughout the process, appealed against the commission's ruling on Friday as they seek to overturn the verdict and avoid potentially severe sanctions.

Midfielder Elliot Anderson and centre back Marc Guehi are among the City players in the England squad, while left back Nico O'Reilly returned to the club because of injury.

Asked whether the verdict was being discussed by the players and whether he had spoken to City's contingent, Tuchel told reporters on Friday: "I guess so. We had some time off between the matches and it is a big subject.

"Everyone speaks about it, so there is no other voice needed. I am glad to be not that voice. No one needs my half knowledge on the topic.

"Of course, the players talk about it. City players talk about it. We talk with them but only briefly. They are ready to go tomorrow. But of course, it's a big topic in the camp."

Tuchel was also asked whether he would continue selecting City players if the club were relegated from the Premier League.

"There is always a possibility," the German said.

"I would always try to pick the best team for the camp, occasion, the tournament. I will never rule out that because they don't play in the top flight in their country.

"We need to look at it case by case."

England are second in Group A3 with three points from two matches, having lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley before beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague on Tuesday.

They face Croatia in the port city of Rijeka, where the match will be played behind closed doors following crowd disturbances involving Croatia supporters during a Nations League quarter-final against France in March 2025.

"It has made a huge difference for us to have three days in between so that we could take care of players with high output like Anderson and Gordon, for example," Tuchel said.

"Everyone has been at training today except for O'Reilly, who had to leave camp to get treatment and leave as soon as possible. His discomfort was too painful and he couldn't be on the pitch.

"Everyone else started and ended training today on a high level." REUTERS