Jesse Marsch calls for Manchester City relegation over alleged financial breaches
Canada coach Jesse Marsch says Manchester City should be relegated if the club is found responsible for serious Premier League financial-rule breaches. City denies wrongdoing and has appealed an independent commission ruling, with sanctions still unresolved.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch has called for Manchester City to be relegated over alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, told The Guardian that City should be punished severely. He said his experience in England had convinced him there were inconsistencies in the club’s reported finances.
The Premier League found City guilty of serious breaches covering nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The league alleged that the club used sham commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million. City denies wrongdoing and says the independent commission’s verdict contained material errors of law, principle and fact.
The club filed an appeal on Thursday. Marsch cited the 2022 summer transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City. He said both clubs reported making money, despite Leeds’ more limited financial resources.
He also questioned City’s reported £52 million signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, saying he believed the figures reflected wider inconsistencies. City’s appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board. Possible penalties include fines, a points deduction and other sporting sanctions.
Relegation and the removal of titles have also been discussed as potential outcomes. The timing of any punishment remains uncertain. The source material says it is unclear whether sanctions would be imposed before the appeal is decided.
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