Jesse Marsch has made the bluntest reaction to Manchester City's guilty verdict, saying the club should be relegated and that “everyone knew” what was happening. An independent commission published a 40-page verdict on Tuesday that found City had disguised payments worth £900million over a nine-year period, covering 2009 to 2018. City confirmed on Friday that they have lodged an appeal to overturn the decision.

Marsch's complaint

“I think Man 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 dailymail.com. He did not stop there, either. “Whereas when Man City says this, I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?’”

That anger is tied to the way he read the sport’s financial split. Marsch said the 2022 summer accounts were a key reason for his scepticism, and he pointed to Leeds making money while City were able to move as they did. “That summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said we made money,” he said.

He added: “For us, we did make money, because we sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips [to City]. We had a lot left over from what we bought.” Marsch also singled out the £52m Erling Haaland fee: “When they said they got Erling Haaland for £52m, it's like: ‘Yeah, OK, sure’.”

The accounts Marsch kept coming back to

Marsch said Leeds were in a different financial position at the time. “At the time, we weren't in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn't have deep pockets,” he said. He finished by saying he saw “inconsistencies” in City’s side of the story, before adding, “This is football.”

The backdrop is important because City are not fighting this from a weak sporting position. They are top of the Premier League with 15 points from five matches, while Leeds are fifth with 9 points from five matches. That does not settle the dispute, but it does show Marsch is attacking a club that remains on top of the table while the appeal runs.

The key facts now are simple enough. City have been found guilty by an independent commission, they have appealed, and Marsch wants the punishment to be relegation.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →