The key facts

  • Manchester City found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules; sanctions not yet announced, the club has filed an appeal
  • The team under Enzo Maresca have won all seven opening Premier League matches and lead Arsenal by three points
  • Marc Guehy: there is 'a lot of trust and belief in the football club' in the squad; players were not told details of the appeal

Guehy on the atmosphere in the squad

Manchester City defender Marc Guehy said at a pre-match press conference that the squad is in a 'fairly calm' state and has 'a lot of trust and belief in the football club', despite the guilty verdicts in the case over breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. According to the 26-year-old Englishman, who joined from Crystal Palace for £20 million ($26.6 million) in January last year, team spirit is excellent: players, staff and fans support each other. He added that it is easy to be influenced by the noise around the club, but the team is focused on football.

Context of the case and season results

City were found guilty of more than 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. This has prompted calls to punish the club with a large points deduction, huge fines and even the stripping of some titles, but sanctions have not yet been announced, and the club, which has repeatedly denied the breaches, is appealing the verdicts of the independent commission. Despite the scandal, the team under new coach Enzo Maresca have won all seven opening Premier League rounds and lead by three points over reigning champion Arsenal. The only setback of the season was a 2:4 defeat to reigning Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. On Wednesday — according to initial data, on Tuesday — City will host AEK (Athens), seeking to return to winning ways in Europe.

Players were not told about the appeal

When asked whether Maresca's players had been given any details about why the club's leadership is confident of a successful appeal, Guehy replied: 'No, nothing was said. The only thing that was said was to focus on football, that's all we can do.' He also noted that since his arrival the club had been 'fantastic' with him during difficult times on and off the pitch, and that he wants to be part of the club's future successes, knowing about its past achievements.