Man City’s “talks” with broadcasters come out just before their game with Liverpool, following the news about 115 charges.
Manchester City reportedly reached out to Sky Sports before an interview with their star striker, Erling Haaland, ahead of Sunday’s big Premier League match against Liverpool. The main topic on everyone’s mind? The club’s recent verdict involving 115 charges.
City will face Liverpool at Anfield this Sunday in their first game since being found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules. The club insists they are innocent and filed an appeal on Friday, October 2.
Many players, past and present, have shared their thoughts about the verdict and what it might mean for City’s future. Haaland spoke about it during his Sky Sports interview earlier this week.
According to the Daily Mail, City got in touch with Sky Sports “in the days” before the Liverpool game to talk about what questions would be okay to ask Haaland and how to approach the topic. It seems the club feels players shouldn’t be the ones representing their side on the charges.
Similar talks reportedly happened with Norwegian TV station Viaplay since Haaland was playing for Norway when the verdict was announced in September.
SPORTbible has reached out to Manchester City for their comments.
From the players’ point of view, there isn’t much they can say about the situation while the appeal is ongoing, and City is careful not to put extra pressure on them. But since the club’s bosses haven’t stepped forward to answer questions, it often falls to the players and manager Enzo Maresca to speak up instead.
That hasn’t stopped former players from weighing in. Ex-City captain Kyle Walker, now with Burnley, said recently, “It’s something we don’t want to talk about because we want to be known for winning trophies the right way. We worked really hard for those wins.”
During his interview, Haaland did address the verdict, asking City fans to “stick together” and “stay positive.”
“No matter what happens in life, we always have a smile,” he said. “We have to stay positive, look forward, try to win games, and enjoy the journey. We need to stick together and spread love.”
Haaland also shared how much he cares about the city and the fans. “I care a lot about the city because I’m a fan myself. My mom and dad lived in England for 10 years—not in Manchester, but my dad trained at Carrington every day. I spent my first four years there, my brother nine, and my sister six, so it’s a special place for us.”