OTTAWA: Canada coach Jesse Marsch has called for Manchester City to be punished severely over breaches of Premier League financial rules, saying his experience managing against the club left him convinced there were inconsistencies in the way it operated.

City were found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, with the league alleging the club used “sham” commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19 billion).

The club has denied wrongdoing, saying the verdict contained material errors of law, principle and fact, and filed an appeal on Thursday against the independent commission ruling.

Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, said the disparity between the clubs had been apparent to him during his time in England.

“I think Manchester City should be punished severely. I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew,” Marsch told the Guardian in an interview published on Sunday.

Marsch also pointed to the 2022 summer transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City, while both clubs reported making money.

“That summer (2022), us and Manchester 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,” he said.

“At the time, we weren’t in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn’t have deep pockets. Whereas when Manchester City says this, I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?’”

The American coach was also sceptical about City’s signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund that summer.

“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’,” Marsch said.

Reuters has contacted City for comment on Marsch’s remarks.

City’s appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board.

Potential sanctions include fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties, with relegation or the removal of titles also discussed as possible outcomes. It remains unclear whether any sanctions would be imposed before the appeal is decided.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026