Enzo Maresca has spoken for the first time since Manchester City were found guilty of all serious Premier League financial breaches.
An independent commission over the international break deemed the multiple Premier League champions to have inflated sponsorships by around £900million from 'sham' companies, but Maresca supports the club.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca watches on4
Manchester City sit top of the Premier League but the future is uncertain
The club deny all claims against them and have lodged an appeal, with that process now underway.
And in his first words since the verdict, the Italian threw all of his support behind the club and also insisted that his players aren't distracted.
Speaking to the Manchester City official club channel, he said: "I am very calm. The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club.
"We understand the noise, but the focus for us is just what we can control, and we can control the football side.
"The feeling is fantastic, to be honest.
"The players are excited and are just focused on that.
"They are not worried at all on different things. The noise is there, but they don't care too much about the noise."
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This echoes what Erling Haaland had said in an interview with Sky Sports ahead of taking on Liverpool on Sunday in which he called for unity.
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He said: "I think they [the fans] are going to have a good time.
"We have to stick together, we have to stay with each other and stay positive and no matter what happens in life, we always have to have a smile, so we have to stay positive, look ahead and try to win football games and try to enjoy the situation and the game.
Erling Haaland runs while playing for Manchester City against Sunderland.4
Haaland didn't directly mention the verdict, but he had a message of positivity for Man City fans
"As I said, we have to stick together and we have to spread the love to eachother. Stick together and enjoy the ride and smile."
Guardiola's support
Former Man City manager Pep Guardiola has also thrown his support behind the club.
The Spaniard is expected to be at the Etihad next Wednesday for the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain, live on talkSPORT.
He also took to social media to express his support for the club.
He said: "I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever.
"I am, always have been, always will be, behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran (Soriano), the players, staff, Enzo (Maresca) and you, our unique supporters.
"Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."
Pep Guardiola celebrates with the FA Cup after Manchester City's win over Chelsea4
Guardiola was at Man City for two of the years in which they stand accused of cheating
Enzo Maresca looks on during Manchester City's match against Sunderland4
Maresca is likely to face difficult questions at the pre-match press conference
Manchester City's situation
During the international break, a 40 page statement from the independent commission posted on the Premier League website confirmed that Man City were guilty.
The key finding was that from 2009-2018, the club paid themselves through fake contracts to avoid Financial Fair Play and boost revenue.
That revenue was then used to buy players and build a team that won multiple trophies.
Man City submitted an appeal and that process is now underway, with their argument that the money they received came from the UAE government and not Sheikh Mansour.
One problem they may face is that Etihad, a key sponsor, have already denied that any funding they receive is from the government in a court battle in the United States.
But until the appeal process is complete, everything remains exactly the same.
There are also other forces at play with reports suggesting the UAE are going to pull money out of future investments in the UK depending on what happens to City.
Should they be found guilty and the appeal fails, there are a wide range of punishments.
These start with fines and transfer bans and go up to expulsion, points deductions and titles being stripped.
In the meantime, Man City will continue to play their fixtures as normal, starting with Liverpool on Sunday.
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