Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has called for a swift conclusion to Manchester City's Premier League financial rules case as the Reds prepare to take on their rivals for the first time since their guilty verdict
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - AUGUST 21: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Andoni Iraola head coach of Liverpool during a press conference at AXA Training Centre on August 21, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola speaking during a Liverpool press conference(Image: Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola believes the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Manchester City's guilty verdict for breaching the Premier League's financial regulations is damaging for the sport and has urged a rapid resolution.
However, the Liverpool head coach, whose side faces Enzo Maresca's undefeated league leaders at Anfield this Sunday, acknowledges that the rest of the clubs must continue to have faith in those managing the proceedings.
The Premier League released its redacted, 40-page core decision on September 29, exposing how City had artificially inflated commercial revenue by as much as £830 million ($1.1 billion) between 2009 and 2018, during which time it won three league titles.
City also downplayed losses of around £66 million ($87M), with the division's chief executive Richard Masters scathing in his assessment that the Etihad outfit had "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade".
City lodged an appeal against the ruling on October 2 , and a fresh independent commission is scheduled to examine the case during a 12-week period without accepting new evidence. The Manchester club has always maintained its innocence, claiming there is "irrefutable evidence" regarding the legitimacy of the commercial revenue income, reports the Liverpool Echo.
"I think it should be [concluded quickly]," Iraola said. "There should be a moment when something comes from this but now is not that moment.
Man City has lodged an appeal following the guilty verdict but could be severly punished.
Man City has lodged an appeal following the guilty verdict but could be severly punished.(Image: (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))
"Nobody knows what is going to happen and I think this uncertainty is no good for anyone. I don't know what's going to happen. No-one knows what's going to happen.
"I think we have to trust the people who are in charge of those things. They have spent a lot of time (looking at the issue), no?
"So they are ones that the football world has put their trust in and they decide to make their decisions.
"The best thing for us is that we are focusing on the football and on the game, Liverpool vs Man City.
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"But we cannot control everything that happens and that is why there are mechanisms to control these kinds of things.
"We understand and I understand everything that goes above football. Every fan will have their own opinion and attitude towards that but it's not something that I can control.
"I need to do my job, to give the best game we can give on the sporting side, so everyone of our supporters is happy on Sunday.
"I think the challenge of the game for us is big. Everyone knows if we don't give 100 percent then it is going to be a really difficult game for us.
Enzo Maresca, Manager of Leicester City (L), shakes hands with Andoni Iraola, Manager of AFC Bournemouth (R), prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between AFC Bournemouth and Leicester City
Enzo Maresca takes on Andoni Iraola when Manchester City travels to Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images))
"So all the players are very focused and everyone is willing to take on all the information to get us ready and win their duels, give their best performances because it is the only way we can win on Sunday."
When quizzed on whether he would reference the City situation in his pre-match team talk, Iraola added: "No, I will use [the atmosphere] like I do every time we play at home.
"We have to use it to give the fans the game they want to see and the things that we can control. We know what they want to see: a team that gives everything; that fights for every ball; that is vertical and goes for the game from the beginning.
"And if we give them that game, then they will be with us and that is what I would say. Give them that team because we know the guarantee of the fans being with us and supporting that team is important."