Man City charges news: Triple punishment agreement as Premier League chiefs speak out

Man City charges news: Triple punishment agreement as Premier League chiefs speak out Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca faced the media for the first time since the club were found guilty as they prepare to take on Liverpool in the Premier League Welcome to Mirror Football's live blog for Friday, October 9, as Manchester City prepare to return to Premier League action for the first time since being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules. The club have already confirmed their appeal after an Independent Commission found them guilty on 114 of 115 charges levied against them between 2009-10 and 2017-18. They revealed that more than £830million of owner funding was used to inflate revenues through 'sham' agreements. In addition to City's appeal, there is now also a punishment to await. The range of sanctions can go from a fine to a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. Enzo Maresca held his first press conference following the news as he previewed City's clash against Liverpool. The head coach presented a defiant response as he was probed on his and the club's position. City are set for a frosty atmosphere at Anfield on Sunday, with the Reds being one of four clubs to have reserved the right for a legal challenge against their rivals. Follow all of the updates below... Key Events Thanks for joining us! That brings our live coverage to an end this evening. We'll be back tomorrow morning with all the latest news and opinion on the charges case. So be sure to join us then. You can read all the latest news HERE, in the meantime. Man City 'held settlement talks with Premier League' BEFORE guilty verdict on charges Manchester City reportedly held settlement talks with the Premier League prior to the independent commission delivering their guilty verdict last month. City, still strongly deny any wrongdoing and have appealed the decision after they were found guilty of all but one of the alleged charges. Now, in a report by Bloomberg, the Premier League side held talks with the top-flight's governing body to discuss an 'early-stage settlement' but those discussions broke down. The report claims that any punishment would have been a hefty financial payment, rather than the stripping of titles and relegation, according to those sourced. It's claimed those talks quickly fell apart with City adamant about their innocence in the matter. The sheer amount of charges means the reported financial proposal would have only reduced the size of the case, rather than resolved it. Man City whistleblower Rui Pinto goes BACK into witness protection after 'fearing for his life' Rui Pinto has had his protection restored by the Portuguese authorities in a rapid U-turn. Pinto’s Football Leaks website was key in Manchester City having 115 Premier League charges levelled against them. City have since been found guilty of 114 of those, with a number of potential punishments on the table should their appeal be dismissed. Pinto in the meantime has also been left uncomfortable, having seen his witness protection revoked by the Portuguese authorities. He had previously received protection since 2020. But the 37-year-old whistleblower has now had that restored for the time being, with a statement signed from the Ministry of Justice stating that Pinto had not been adequately informed of the grounds for terminating the programme or given the opportunity to exercise his right to challenge the decision. Vincent Kompany makes first statement on Man City guilty verdict as Enzo Maresca convinced Vincent Kompany has admitted he is 'not too occupied' by former club Manchester Citybeing found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The Etihad club, though, have appealed against the verdict and claimed in a statement the commission's ruling contained "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe". Kompany was at City throughout the period in question, having joined the club in 2008 before spending 11 years there. The current Bayern Munich boss was also named City captain in 2011, a role he held until he departed in 2019, but he refused to be drawn on the case involving his old club. He said: "I'm only thinking about my work at FC Bayern. We have important games coming up, and that takes a lot of time." Premier League executives name one Man City punishment they're 'not expecting' Premier League club chiefs are not expecting Manchester City to be directly thrown out of the league if the guilty verdict against breaches of financial rules is upheld. City are appealing the verdict, which rules them as guilty of 114 breaches over a nine-year period. The three-person panel ruled that City artificially inflated their revenue through ‘sham’ sponsorship deals that were funded by the club owners, something that is now allowed under the financial regulations. It’s something that City strongly deny. There has been a lot of talk over what sort of punishment could be handed to City should their appeal against the verdict be unsuccessful. The sanction will be decided by the same three-person panel that delivered the initial verdict, with the Premier League able to give their recommendation. Premier League given brutal reality check ahead of 'meaningless' Liverpool vs Man City We've had bombshells. We've had statements. We've had appeals. And we've got the football. Manchester City will take to the pitch on Sunday for the first time since it was confirmed that the club had been found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules, 114 to be exact. And while money is no guarantee of winning football matches, it goes a long way. That's why Liverpool fans, arguably the primary victims of City's era of dominance, will be so revved up when the teams emerge at Anfield. But what does the game actually mean in context? And has the season already changed as a result of the ruling? We asked our team of writers for their verdicts. READ MORE HERE. Man Utd fans revive brutal Man City banner Manchester United fans are reportedly set to restore a banner mocking Manchester City to Old Trafford for the clash against Tottenham this weekend. City are still maintaining their innocence and confirmed last Friday that they had submitted an appeal, claiming to have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" that should clear them of any wrongdoing. The Premier League returns this weekend after the extended international break, with United set to host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. The Athletic have reported that a United fan group will reimplement a banner which mocks their bitter rivals, City, in the aftermath of the guilty verdict which emerged last week. Michael Carrick message Michael Carrick has admitted Manchester City's guilty verdict has impacted him "personally" and has called for the situation to be resolved as soon as possible, reports Kieran King. With the Premier League back in full swing following the extended international break, Manchester United head coach Carrick has spoken in public for the first time since City were found guilty. Carrick was part of the United squad that finished second to City in 2011/12 and then again in 2017/18, and could be in line for another Premier League medal if the Blues are stripped of all their titles. Jamie Carragher issues warning Jamie Carragher believes that pressure will be piled onto Andoni Iraola and Michael Carrick following Manchester City's guilty verdict, reports Felix Keith. City have been found guilty of breaking the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The club used "sham" contracts to disguise over £830million of funding and could be relegated, slapped with a huge points deduction, unlimited fine or a transfer ban. City maintain their innocence, have appealed the decision and are confident of receiving a full exoneration. But, for now, the possibility of them being kicked out of the top flight is being considered. Enzo Maresca's side are currently top of the Premier League, having won all five of their matches against of Sunday's trip to Anfield, and have claimed six of the last nine titles. Carragher is convinced that City will be relegated and that it will completely reshape the Premier League, piling expectation onto the elite clubs who have been underperforming but hiding behind City's dominance. Enzo Maresca message Enzo Maresca is convinced that Manchester City will be totally exonerated after appealing against their guilty verdict, but said he would stay even if they were relegated, reports Felix Keith. City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled at them by the Premier League. The independent commission found they had used "sham" contracts to disguise more than £830million funding between 2009 and 2018. The club has maintained its innocence and adopted a siege mentality after confirming their appeal. Maresca faced reporters for the first time since the bombshell news during the international break and unsurprisingly toed the party line. 'Respect the process' Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has chosen to keep his cards close to his chest while the Manchester City situation plays out. "I fully understand the question but I think it's really important that we respect the process, the timelines and it's still an ongoing process that's not resolved as it's been appealed." 'Let's see what happens' Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has also called for patience while the sanctions for Manchester City are decided. He wants the rules to be respected. "For sure, it's a decision but we need to be patient. We need to wait until the final sanctions from the panel. They are independent enough to assess all of the situations. I am not an expert. We need to respect the decisions and be patient. "We need to wait until the panel announces the actions. We will see what happens. It's not in our hands. Let's see what happens. We need the rules to be respected." Iraola calls for patience Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola wants the uncertainty of the situation to be solved, but conceded the need to be patient for the process to unfold as Manchester City appeal. "I think uncertainty is not good for anyone and anyone involved, but the process is ongoing and we have to be patient like everyone else and see what happens at the end," he said. Carrick's response Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, who finished as runner-up to Manchester City, admitted he has his own question about the situation after being personally impacted. He also stayed pretty tight-lipped, however. "It's thrown up a lot of questions. It's ongoing, and there's only so much I can say. I have my own questions about it because it has affected me personally. We'll have to see how it goes. The sooner it gets sorted for everyone, the better," he said. "There's no getting that back [winning moments] in any direction. The feeling we all crave is coming out on top. That sums it up. Whatever is done in the past, is done in the past." No comment It could be a familiar pattern in the next half hour. Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa simply batted a question about City away earlier today. "No comment," he said when asked about the Manchester City charges. More press conferences The likes of Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso and Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta will soon face the media, in addition to press conferences from Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham. We'll round up the best comments on City from 1.30pm when they begin. Lawyer surprised Sports lawyer Dan Chapman is surprised that Manchester City's chiefs had yet to take a 'damage limitation' approach to their appeal. "We now know that the Independent Commission, based on the Premier League's investigations and not simply the Der Spiegel leaked documents, have made multiple findings of fact based on actual evidence and we no longer need to speculate as to the authenticity of documents," Chapman told TEAMtalk. “And so for me the strategy deployed by City from the outset has always been high risk at best, or extremely dangerous at worst. If City cannot win this appeal, or win out via subsequent legal processes, they are making the sanction stage of these proceedings more difficult for themselves. But they have been nothing if not consistent in their approach. "Time will ultimately tell, but I see no imminent sign of damage limitation mode being deployed yet. A punishment for seven seasons would be fitting." Rules must be upheld Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris refused to comment on Manchester City's situation but believes the rules of competition must be upheld to ensure fair competition. "There are still ongoing legal proceedings so it’s not for me to comment on that," he said. “My position is simple: football has rules on and off the pitch and you have to respect those rules. When they are broken, you should have consequences otherwise it’s not fair, and we want fair competition, we want fair play. So the relevant authorities have to be relentless, otherwise you lose the value of your competition. "Even it is hard to understand exactly what the charges are as it happened ten years ago, more or less. We were not here in Sunderland, for example. But it is about respecting rules, so it’s key because if you don’t have fair competition it’s a bit weird. That’s more or less the feeling we have in the building." Man City banner revived Manchester United fans are set to restore a banner mocking Manchester City to Old Trafford. The 'ticker' banner was present in the Stretford End at Old Trafford and showed how many years it had been since City had last won a major trophy, first starting with '24 years' on its initial appearance back in 2000. The banner was taken down after City won the FA Cup in 2011, but the banner will make an appearance once again this weekend. 'Hopefully it is dealt with' Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler was asked about City's verdict, but gave little away on his views. "I can't control anything from that. The only thing I can really focus on is our preparation, how we are doing, and therefore it is just a distraction that is not in our hands."Hopefully it will be dealt with but my topic and I have enough topics to mention." That's all for now Enzo Maresca's press conference was dominated by questions surrounding City's charges and the appeal. The Italian presented a defiant front as he repeatedly asserted his trust for the club. He was more cautious when asked about staying at the club if the appeal was lost, before pointing to his credentials in the Championship. Maresca was adamant City would win the appeal, however. Have you read the verdict? "Again, I trust the club because I know the people. I promise you my focus is just about football so I am not thinking about different things. I don't understand so I just focus on the things I can control, the football side." Would you have agreed to become boss if the verdict had come before? "100 per cent. I know the organisation from years ago, I know how serious they are and I know they do the right things. I will speak about this when we win the appeal." Not worried about players "Viewing the environment in the last few days, I am not worried. In this moment we are top and the players have every reason to be happy and excited." What if you lose the appeal? And what happen if the appeal is won? We are predicting the future. I am worried about tomorrow and two days. I can only say that I think it's fair for us to respect the process. There is an appeal ongoing. Would you walk away? I will speak about this when we win the appeal. No sense to speak about anything. I understand why you are here because you want to hear something. Should City bosses be here instead of you? This is a Liverpool press conference. Question marks over achievements? Absolutely not. I know the effort from the players and the club so I know what they did for that target. Absolutely not [tainted]. For me and the players, we can control the pitch side, we can focus on that. We cannot control something different. Concerns about Sunday? I'm always concerned, not just Liverpool. It's the same if it was Ipswich. I know Liverpool is a nice pitch, it will be more work in terms of environment. Games like this is why I became a manager."