Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said he is “very happy” and doesn’t feel “any kind of stress” about the overhanging guilty verdict, which the club has since appealed.
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Last month, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of the majority of the 115 charges first issued to the club in February 2023, relating to both serious breaches of financial rules and countless failures to comply with the Premier League’s investigation.
While a 'comprehensive' appeal has been launched by the Abu Dhabi-owned Premier League side, it may yet take up to 12 weeks for a new, three-person commission to conduct a hearing.
If the verdict is upheld, Manchester City could see themselves having to pay a huge fine, undergo a lengthy transfer ban, or even be relegated from the English top-flight via a substantial points deduction.
Premier League legal battle is out of my control, says stress-free Maresca
Manchester City welcome Ipswich Town to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and Enzo Maresca, taking charge of his 11th game as the club's manager, revealed that he is "very happy" ahead of the contest and simply cannot control what happens off the pitch.
The 46-year-old told reporters during Friday afternoon's pre-match press conference, “I'm very happy. I don't feel any kind of stress about the outside situation, because it's something that I don't control. I just focus on how we can try to win the next games.”
On the charges, and whether he has spoken to anyone outside of the club to understand the situation more clearly, Enzo Maresca added, “No, because I completely trust the club, so I don't need people from outside the club to understand more [about] the situation.
"I spoke with the club a few times. They explained to me the situation, so the situation is very clear. And I trust the club 100%. I trust the people that run the club, and this is the reason why I joined the club.”
Maresca: I’m very pleased with my players during demanding schedule
Manchester City have found themselves enduring a challenging period as of late, which has delivered tough tests against Liverpool in the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
Despite beating the Merseyside club 0-3 last weekend at Anfield, Enzo Maresca’s side suffered their first defeat in nine games across all competitions against the French giants in midweek.
Still, the Manchester City manager is largely impressed by his side’s togetherness as more manageable fixtures approach against the likes of Ipswich, AEK Athens in the Champions League, Aston Villa, and Brighton & Hove Albion across the Carabao Cup fourth round and Premier League.
“Very pleased, very happy, very pleased. The international break has been quite busy. After that we played Anfield away and PSG at home - two big games. But we handled it quite good,” Enzo Maresca said.
“All together. The club, the fans, the team, everyone. But tomorrow's game is three points, exactly the same as Anfield, so that's why it's important to continue our run and try and win.”
Club captain Ruben Dias in particular has stood out in his leadership with Manchester City through the uncertainty of the Premier League's charges, with Enzo Maresca referring to what the defender said ahead of the PSG game as a "good" message for everyone.
“Dias said people don’t like City winning, but we like to win. So I think that is a good message for everyone. Since the noise, we can see, I can see from my personal point of view, the fans, the club, the team [are] more together for sure," Maresca said.
Manchester City host Ipswich for the traditional 15:00 BST kick-off slot on Saturday afternoon, where the home side could retain their lead at the top of the Premier League table with a win, and move six points clear of Arsenal before the reigning champions kick-off on Sunday against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.