Manchester City’s squad has reunited at the training ground following a devastating financial verdict, facing a volatile atmosphere ahead of Sunday’s clash at Anfield.
The silence at the Etihad Campus was finally broken this morning, but the atmosphere remains heavy. Manchester City’s squad returned to training for the first time since being found guilty of systemic financial breaches nearly two weeks ago. a verdict that has left the club’s future dangling over a precipice.
Manager Enzo Maresca arrived shortly after 9:30 a.m. offering a wide grin and a thumbs-up to the cameras—a defiant contrast to the gravity of the findings released by an independent commission after a ten-week hearing in late 2024. Superstar striker Erling Haaland followed after midday. adopting a similarly composed posture. while teammates Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol opted for lower profiles as they drove into the facility.
Behind the outward displays of calm, the reality of the crisis is sharpening. The commission’s decision. delivered over three years after charges were first leveled. accused the club of artificially inflating commercial revenues by more than £830 million between 2009 and 2018. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters stated the club had “systemically broke” rules for nearly a decade through “sham” contracts and a persistent failure to cooperate. Perhaps most damagingly, the commission ruled that testimony provided by several club witnesses was “untrue” and “dishonest.”.
While the club lodged an appeal against these findings last Thursday, the institutional stakes are absolute. A failed appeal could trigger expulsion from the Premier League. severe points deductions. the stripping of historical titles. or wide-reaching transfer bans. Despite the existential threat, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s agent, Enzo Raiola, confirmed that the club has issued internal reassurances. Speaking to Radio Napoli Centrale. Raiola insisted the squad remains calm. noting that the players are focused on upcoming matches against Liverpool and PSG while legal processes grind forward.
That focus will be tested immediately. Sunday’s trip to face Liverpool at Anfield—the toughest possible re-entry to league play—is already attracting unwanted attention. Merseyside Police are currently finalizing a policing plan after social media posts circulated calling for a hostile “bus greeting” two hours before the 4:30 p.m. kickoff, with organizers encouraging fans to bring banners, flags, and pyrotechnics.
For the players who spent the last fortnight on international duty, the transition back to club life is jarring. Maresca. who only returned to the Etihad on Monday. must now prepare a group that has endured a tumultuous period. with staff reportedly facing abuse in the street and agents scrutinizing contract clauses.
Next Wednesday offers a symbolic attempt at stability: the club will host its first home European match since Pep Guardiola’s summer departure. The former manager. who has publicly declared his support by telling fans. “We will get through this together. ” is expected to be in attendance alongside chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and the board in a unified display of solidarity at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City Enzo Maresca Erling Haaland Premier League Anfield financial charges football news