Manchester City stars have returned to training for the first time after the club was found guilty of all serious financial breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations nearly two weeks ago.
Manager Enzo Maresca was the first to arrive shortly after 9.30am, grinning widely for the waiting photographers and giving them an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
He was followed after midday by superstar striker Erling Haaland, who adopted a similarly positive pose. England star Marc Guehi and Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol cut a more low-key profiles.
The majority of Maresca’s squad spent time on international duty during the fortnight break, with the manager himself only returning to the Etihad Stadium on Monday ahead of meeting up with his group for the first time.
Preparations are set to begin for the toughest possible initial test – a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, with international football awaiting their response to the charges on the pitch.
Man City lodged their appeal against the charges, which found that the club had artificially inflated commercial revenues by over £830million between 2009 and 2018, last Thursday evening.
Erling Haaland looked upbeat as he arrived at Manchester City for the first time since their
Manager Enzo Maresca was the first to arrive this morning and he similarly gave waiting photographers the thumbs-up
Marc Guehi kept a low profile as he drove into Man City’s training ground for the first time since September
The independent commission came to their decision over three years after the Premier League first brought charges against the club, with its 10-week hearing taking place in late 2024.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters claimed in a statement released alongside the bombshell core decision that the club ‘systemically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade’ with their use of ‘sham’ contracts.
The club also repeatedly breached duties of ‘co-operation and utmost good faith towards the League’ by failing to help with the investigation. In the core decision, the independent commission deemed evidence given by a number of Man City’s witnesses called on behalf of the club to have been ‘untrue’ and ‘dishonest’.
If Man City fail in their appeal, they will face severe sanctions which could include expulsion from the Premier League, future points deductions, stripping of titles and transfer bans.
But goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s agent Enzo Raiola revealed the Italian – and likely his team-mates – was been given assurances by the club, who still insist on their innocence in the wake of the damning verdict by the independent commission.
He told Radio Napoli Centrale, per Calciomercato: ‘Can the Manchester City chaos change anything? No, it won’t change anything for us or for Gigio. News comes out periodically.
‘The club has spoken to Gigio, and everyone is calm. Now there are important matches against Liverpool and PSG, and then sporting justice will take its course. But Gigio has received reassurances from Manchester City.’
Ahead of Sunday’s return to Premier League action, Daily Mail Sport reported on Wednesday that Merseyside Police are braced for fan trouble with some Liverpool fans preparing a hostile ‘welcome’ for Man City’s team bus.
One social media post is advertising a ‘Bus Greeting’ around two hours before the 4.30pm kick-off on Anfield Road.
Fans are asked to bring ‘flags, banners, pyros, flares, kopparbergs’. A wink emoji is placed after Kopparberg, which is a popular cider served in a bottle.
Josko Gvardiol returned to Manchester after facing off with England for Croatia at Wembley
Summer signing Elliot Anderson arrived around lunchtime after returning from England duty
Antoine Semenyo and Ayyoub Bouaddi were also on parade as they returned to their club
Police are aware of the poster and have said that they will have ‘an appropriate policing plan in place’.
Next Wednesday, City will play their first game at the Etihad since they were found guilty and Pep Guardiola will be in attendance in a show of solidarity.
The former manager, who left the club at the end of last season, previously shared a message of support for his ex-employers, telling fans: ‘We will get through this together. I love you all.’
Guardiola will be joined at the Etihad Stadium by the City board, including chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, for the club’s first home European match since his summer departure.
READ MORE: Inside Man City HQ since guilty verdict tore their world apart: Staff abused in the street, Enzo Maresca’s defiant response, agents poring over contract clauses and what confused, nervous squad have been told ahead of trip to Anfield bearpit
