England manager Thomas Tuchel says players have been discussing the financial rules verdict against Manchester City, but he does not expect the case to affect preparations for Saturday’s Nations League match against Croatia.
Speaking in Rijeka on Friday, Tuchel said the ruling was a major topic within the squad. He had spoken briefly with City’s England players but did not want to offer a judgement on a case he said he did not know well enough. He said the players were ready for the match. (reuters.com)
City has appealed the findings.
An independent commission found that Manchester City breached Premier League financial rules over nine seasons, from 2009–10 to 2017–18. It also upheld three of four charges concerning the club’s failure to cooperate with the investigation, according to the Premier League’s statement. (premierleague.com)
City denies wrongdoing and filed an appeal on Friday. A separate hearing will decide any sanction, so no points deduction, relegation or other sporting penalty has been imposed. The appeal means the commission’s findings remain contested. (reuters.com, premierleague.com)
Tuchel keeps focus on selection
Midfielder Elliot Anderson and defender Marc Guéhi are among the City players in England’s squad. Nico O’Reilly has returned to his club for treatment after an injury.
Tuchel was asked whether he would continue selecting City players if the club were eventually relegated. He said he would assess players individually and choose the best available team, regardless of whether someone’s club played in the top division. Relegation remains a possible sanction discussed around the case, rather than a decision that has been made. (reuters.com)
England travel to Croatia with three points from their first two Group A3 matches, having lost to Spain and beaten the Czech Republic. Saturday’s fixture in Rijeka will be played behind closed doors following crowd disturbances involving Croatia supporters at an earlier Nations League match. (reuters.com)
For now, Tuchel’s immediate decision concerns the team he fields against Croatia. The City appeal and any sanction will be dealt with through the Premier League’s disciplinary process. (premierleague.com, reuters.com)
