Jesse Marsch claims Man City’s financial wrongdoing was widely known in the Premier League and relegation was bound to follow.
Published on October 4, 2026
Canada manager Jesse Marsch has called for Manchester City to be harshly punished for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules, saying his managerial experience against the club left him convinced there were inconsistencies in the way he operated.
City were found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, with the league alleging the club used “fictitious” commercial contracts to inflate revenues and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19 billion).
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The club denied any wrongdoing, saying the verdict contained material errors of law, principle and fact, and filed an appeal on Thursday against the independent commission’s decision.
Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, said the disparity between the clubs became evident to him during his time “in England”.
“I think Man City should be severely punished. I think they should go down, and besides, everyone knew that. Everyone knew that,” Marsch told the Guardian in an interview published on Sunday.
Marsch also highlighted the 2022 summer transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City, as both clubs reported making money.
“That summer (2022) us and Man City were the only teams saying we made money,” he said.
“For us we made money, because we sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips. We had a lot left of what we bought.
“At the time we weren’t in a financial position not to save. Our owners didn’t have deep pockets. Whereas when Man City said that I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?”
The American coach was also skeptical about City signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund that summer.
“When they said they got Erling Haaland for 52 million pounds ($69 million), it’s like: ‘Yeah, OK, sure!’ So, I knew there were inconsistencies, but what can you do? Just throw your arms up in the air and say, ‘That’s football,'” Marsch said.
City’s appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board, with the club fully denying all accusations.
Potential sanctions include fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions, with relegation or removal of titles also discussed as possible outcomes. It remains unclear whether any sanctions will be imposed before the appeal is decided.
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