Canada boss Jesse Marsch calls for Manchester City to be relegated after guilty verdict
· Yahoo Sports
Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has claimed that "everyone knew" about Manchester City's violations of Premier League financial regulations long before their guilty verdict was handed down.
City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by an independent commission and could face relegation from the Premier League as punishment. The club was determined to have utilized a "disguised funding scheme" between 2009 and 2018 to conceal secret funding of more than £830 million ($1.096 billion).
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The club has consistently maintained their innocence and has filed an appeal that will considerably extend the process. However, the revelation that City employed "sham" arrangements to "disguise the true extent of certain club liabilities" has sent shockwaves throughout the soccer world, via The Mirror.
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Marsch currently serves as the Canadian men's national team head coach, but previously took the reins at Leeds during the 2022/23 season, when they were relegated from the Premier League. City claimed the Premier League title that season, along with the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup, and despite the financial misconduct occurring well before that campaign, Marsch harbors a grievance.
"I think Man City should be punished severely. I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew," he told the Guardian.
"That summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said we made money. For us, we did make money, because we sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips [to City]. We had a lot left over from what we bought.
"At the time, we weren't in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn't have deep pockets. Whereas when Man City says this, I was literally like, 'Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?'
"When they said they got Erling Haaland for £52 million (around $69 million), it's like: 'Yeah, OK, sure!' So, I knew there were inconsistencies in it, but what can you do? You just put your arms in the air and go, 'This is football.'"
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Leeds' frustrations regarding the 2022/23 season extend beyond City alone, with the club having finished beneath both Everton and Nottingham Forest, who subsequently had points docked for violating the Premier League's financial regulations.
Marsch's remarks follow those of Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, who recently caused a stir by asserting that "many other clubs have inflated their budgets."
He told Diario de Sevilla: "It's an issue that was already known. Because we all have our restrictions, we have to sell players to comply with Financial Fair Play, we have to figure out how to draw up contracts with new people.
"Financial Fair Play seeks a financial balance so that what you generate is spent and there isn't inflation. Yes, many other clubs have inflated their budgets, and now it's coming to light, and naturally there's a decline.
"That's something that the courts and those responsible will have to decide. I feel sorry because how that team played. With [Pep] Guardiola, there were times when they were unmatched."