Maresca responds on Instagram as Manchester City face financial-rules verdict

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca responded to questions about the club’s financial-rules case with an Instagram post on Saturday, following reports that City had been found guilty on almost all of the charges against them. According to the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson, the manager’s representatives supplied a screenshot of the post when asked whether Maresca wanted reassurance about the club’s continued insistence on its innocence.

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The message included the words “The only thing I know is that I know nothing,” attributed to Socrates, alongside Maresca’s own reference to taking time to reflect and learn. The Guardian reported that news of the findings emerged on Friday. The Premier League brought more than 100 charges in February 2023; City have consistently denied them and are expected to appeal.

Former City chairman David Bernstein, speaking to Times Radio, called for any appeal to be handled quickly. He argued that the case had already lasted too long and that years of further proceedings would harm both the club and English football. Bernstein, who chaired City from 1998 to 2003, said a financial penalty alone would be inadequate if the findings survived an appeal, while declining to prescribe a specific punishment.

Noel Gallagher also reacted to the news on the Let Me Talk podcast. The Oasis musician and City supporter said the reported outcome surprised him because the club had repeatedly rejected the allegations. He expressed sadness for supporters and players, but distinguished decisions made in the boardroom from the matches fans had watched. Discussing Sergio Agüero’s title-winning goal in 2012, he maintained that the experience remained meaningful to him.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Radio 5 Live that supporters needed confidence in the fair and consistent enforcement of football’s rules. She described the uncertainty surrounding the case as troubling for fans and called for a prompt resolution, while acknowledging that City continued to contest the charges and that the process was not finished.

City’s public response remained focused on that unfinished process. In a statement issued on Friday and reproduced by the Guardian, a club spokesperson said substantial stages remained outstanding and were covered by confidentiality. The spokesperson reaffirmed City’s February 2023 position. An appeal remained an expectation in the report, rather than a completed step, and the reactions did not establish what punishment would ultimately follow.