Mirror Football
October 11, 2026
Erling Haaland has reportedly been calming down Manchester City team-mates and staff after their 114 guilty charges verdict. English football has been shook to the core after an independent commission found City guilty of all but one of the charges put to them for breaking Premier League financial rules in the period from 2009 to 2018.
The Etihad club have since lodged an appeal against the decision, with the process reportedly set to be completed within 12 weeks of the appeal being filed on October 1. Until then, the uncertainty surrounding City will rumble on as fans and the media speculate about what sanctions they could face, especially given the ground-breaking and serious nature of the charges.
The future of players like Haaland has been much discussed, too, in the scenario where City are relegated, either directly or as a result of a points deduction. But the Norwegian striker is said to be keeping a cool head as one of the leaders in Enzo Maresca’s dressing room.
The Daily Mail reports that the ramifications of such a one-sided verdict have taken everybody at City aback.
It is claimed some of City’s staff are struggling to understand what has happened, having been left confused by the stark difference between the independent commission’s findings and the confidence of their employers that they will prevail on appeal.
But star striker Haaland, along with captain Ruben Dias, do not appear to share those concerns, seemingly having the utmost faith in the words of club CEO Ferran Soriano and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. The report states both players have been very vocal in calming down their team-mates and other club personnel behind the scenes.
It is said that Dias and Haaland’s relationship with manager Maresca, having won the treble under him when he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant, has been especially beneficial throughout the ongoing ordeal.
Meanwhile, Maresca himself is said to have privately told the players following the international break: "Forget the noise. We’re here to win a league. Let’s go and win the league."
City are back in Premier League action today as they face a trip to Liverpool, where they are expected to be met with a hostile atmosphere in light of recent events. Maresca’s men are currently top of the table on goal difference with a game in hand over Arsenal.
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