Manchester City has lodged an appeal after an independent investigatory panel found the club guilty of artificially inflating its revenue by more than $1 billion from 2009 to 2018 and upheld all 80 serious financial charges brought by the Premier League. The panel said City could face severe sanctions, including expulsion from the top flight. In his first public comments since the verdict, striker Erling Haaland told teammates and supporters to “stick together,” urging positivity and asking fans traveling to Anfield to remain united. City return to Premier League action on Sunday at Liverpool, and manager Enzo Maresca is due to face reporters on Friday for his first comments on the scandal. Rival managers struck a cautious tone: Frank Lampard said he would wait for the appeal outcome, Bournemouth’s Marco Rose declined to weigh in, and Newcastle’s Matthias Jaissle said he could not judge the case. At the Leaders in Sport conference, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe said he expected “the most just result” to be delivered as the appeal process begins. Former manager José Mourinho joked that the case and its appeals could take decades to conclude, underscoring the long legal process ahead.
Chris F7
