Maresca says he completely trusts Manchester City after Premier League guilty charges

Enzo Maresca was hired at the end of last season by Manchester City when former manager Pep Guardiola stepped down after a trophy-laden 10-year tenure. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said that he completely trusts the club and that its achievements have not been tainted after it was found guilty of breaking the Premier League’s financial rules.

Speaking ahead of City’s Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday, he said that there is no other club in the world where he would rather be.

“I know the organization from years ago and I know how serious they are. I know that they do the right things,” he said.

“I trust the club because I trust the people, and this is also the reason why I joined the club. And then there is no other club in the world where I would like to be, so I’m very happy to be here,” he added.

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An independent commission found that City artificially inflated almost 900 million pounds using “sham” contracts from 2009 to 2018. The club, however, has always denied the charges and has lodged an appeal.

“I would like to speak about this situation when we’re going to win the appeal,” Maresca said. When asked whether the charges have tainted the success that the club has managed in the past decade and a half, the 46-year-old replied, “Absolutely not.”

He noted that for now, the players and staff are focused on the game on Sunday at Anfield. “We completely understand the seriousness of the situation. I’m not saying that we don’t understand that. We understand; the players understand. But it’s our duty, our job, to try to control the noise,” he said. “

“For me and for the players, we can control just the pitch side, the field side. So we are focused on that, and this is what we can do and we can control,” he added.