'Everyone knew' - Ex-Leeds United boss makes startling Man City charges claim amid Raphinha sale admission
A former Leeds United manager has weighed in on Manchester City’s recent guilty charges.
Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has claimed ‘everyone knew’ about Manchester City’s financial tricks with relegation the only appropriate outcome.
Serial Premier League champions City have come under huge scrutiny since last week’s bombshell Premier League announcement of their guilty verdict on over 100 charges. Etihad chiefs are said to have arranged ‘sham contracts’ to artificially inflate revenue by more than £800million over a nine-year period.
City have appealed the decision but could face a wide range of punishments, including a massive points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. Club CEO Ferran Soriano labelled the decision a ‘Premier League conspiracy theory’ in an extraordinary message to his employees.
Marsch, who spent a year in charge of Leeds between February 2022 and 2023, has suggested City’s financial misgivings were common knowledge and pointed to an example involving his former club as a reference point. He also set out what he expects to happen across the Pennines.
“I think Man City should be punished severely,” Marsch told the Guardian. “I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew.
“That summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said we made money. For us, we did make money, because we sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips. We had a lot left over from what we bought.
“At the time, we weren’t in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn’t have deep pockets. Whereas when Man City says this, I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?’
“When they said they got Erling Haaland for £52m, it’s like: ‘Yeah, OK, sure!’ So, I knew there were inconsistencies in it, but what can you do? You just put your arms in the air and go, ‘This is football’.”
The charges relate nine years between 2009 and 2018, with Marsch taking charge of Leeds following Marcelo Bielsa’s exit in February 2022. The American twice lost at home to the Manchester club across two campaigns, conceding seven goals in the process while scoring just once.