City boss Maresca stands by club, says titles not tainted

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 9 : Enzo Maresca mounted an emphatic defence of Manchester City's achievements on Friday, rejecting any suggestion their titles were tainted and insisting the threat of sanctions over financial-rule breaches would not have deterred him from taking the job.

Maresca, who was part of Pep Guardiola's coaching staff when City won the treble in 2022-23, was peppered with questions about the case for almost the entirety of his press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield.

It is the league leaders' first game ‌since being found guilty of more than 100 serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. City have denied all wrongdoing and are appealing.

"The last time I was here was the treble season (2022-23)," he added. "I know the effort from the players, from the club, from the manager in that time, that was Pep. So I know exactly the effort that the club put to achieve that kind of target. So I don't have any doubt about that."

Asked directly whether those achievements felt tainted, the Italian replied: "Absolutely not."

The Italian, who was hired to replace Guardiola in June, also repeatedly stressed his faith in City's ownership, and said the topic of the club's charges was never raised during his managerial contract negotiations.

"I trust the club because I trust the people. So that is why I joined the club," Maresca said. "And then there is not another club where I would like to be. So I'm very happy to be here, I'm very proud since day one."

MARESCA BACKS CITY

Maresca said he would "absolutely" still have taken the job had he known exactly what lay ahead, and turned the tables several times when the prospect of City losing their appeal was raised.

"But what