Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has called for Manchester City to be severely punished for breaching the Premier League's financial regulations, saying his experience managing teams against City convinced him something was amiss in how the club operated.
Manchester City have been found in serious breach of the Premier League's financial rules across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The league alleges the club used "disguised" commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds (about $1.19 billion).
City deny any wrongdoing, saying the ruling contains major errors of law, principle and fact. The club filed an appeal on Thursday against the independent commission's ruling.
Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, said the gulf between clubs became glaringly obvious to him during his time in England.
"I think Man City should be punished severely. I think they should be relegated, and beyond that, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew," Marsch told The Guardian in an interview published on Sunday.
Marsch also pointed to the summer 2022 transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City, while both clubs reported a profit.
"That summer of 2022, we and Man City were the only teams that declared a profit," he said. "For us, it was a genuine profit, because we sold Raphinha and sold Kalvin Phillips. We still had quite a bit left over compared with what we had spent on players.
"At that time, we were not in a financial position that allowed us not to save. Our ownership did not have deep pockets. Meanwhile, when Man City said the same thing, I really thought: 'Are you kidding me? What kind of joke is this?'"
The American coach also expressed scepticism about City's signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund that summer.
"When they said they had signed Erling Haaland for 52 million pounds ($69 million), I thought: 'Yeah, right, sure!' So I knew there were irregularities in there, but what could I do? You can only throw your hands up and say: 'That's football,'" Marsch said.
City's appeal will be heard behind closed doors by a three-member independent panel, while the club fully denies all charges. Potential sanctions include fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties, with relegation or the stripping of titles also mentioned as possible outcomes. It remains unclear whether any sanctions will be applied before the appeal is resolved.
