Maresca: Man City players 'don't care' about verdict noise — SkimNews
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- Enzo Maresca said 'the feeling is fantastic' and players 'don't care too much about the noise,' telling in-house media the squad is focused on being top of the league ahead of Sunday's trip to Liverpool's Anfield (16:30 BST).
- Manchester City are contesting the Premier League's verdict, which found the club used 'sham' contracts to disguise more than £830m in secret funding; City have launched an appeal and publicly maintained their innocence.
- Erling Haaland told Sky Sports fans should 'stick together, stay positive' and 'spread the love,' insisting 'no matter what happens in life, we always have to smile'.
- Maresca addressed his players when internationals returned to training on Thursday, nine days after the verdict was published and asked them not to let the crisis affect their focus.
- Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner urged a swift resolution, citing his prior experience at Crystal Palace when a delayed multi-club ownership verdict pushed European competition decisions to within 10 days of kickoff.
- Frank Lampard said stripped titles would 'be in your head as opposed to in a beautiful glass cabinet,' while BBC Sport reports little appetite inside the Premier League — from organisation or clubs — to claw back City's past trophies.
- Premier League rival managers are already fielding questions on the verdict before the restart; BBC Sport reports several clubs have instructed their managers not to comment at length, and a separate BBC piece says clubs fear political interference in City's appeal.
Why it matters: The verdict's fallout is crossing from legal corridors into the public phase as rival managers field press questions this week. With City leading the table and appealing, the Premier League faces a credibility test on how quickly — and independently — the £830m case is resolved, with rival clubs already publicly anxious about delays and political interference shaping the outcome.
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