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Maresca on City guilty verdict, his future and Liverpool
09/10/2026
CFGA, Manchester, UK
09/10/2026
CFGA, Manchester, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:03morning guys we'll be doing an all-impressor today so no embargoes on this occasion we have
00:13two microphones on the side of the room show of hands please for the mics who's up first
00:30thanks Simon hi Enzo Dan Roman BBC you have referred to the controversy surrounding city as
00:36noise is that somewhat dismissive of genuine anger that is felt by many towards the findings of the
00:44Commission that have found that the club cheated over many years do you understand why there is
00:49such outrage and anger first of all morning I understand the reason why most of you you are
01:03here but the only thing I can say is that is something that I already I already said that
01:13that there is a process ongoing and in this moment I completely trust trust the club so this is this
01:26is what I can say about that why do you trust the club have you have you sought clarity from
01:30them
01:31have you asked to see the irrefutable evidence they refer to and your predecessor Pep Guardiola once
01:37said that if the club is relegated he would stay will you give that commitment as well first of
01:42all I trust the club because I trust the people and this is also there is why I am I
01:47joined the
01:47club and then there is not another club in the world that where I would like to be so I'm
01:54very
01:54happy to be here I'm very proud I said many times since they won so this is this is my
02:00thought
02:04hello Enzo Steve Scott from ITV news you were obviously here before and you worked with Pep do the
02:12achievements that you had then now look different to you absolutely not again I would the last time I
02:20was here was the treble season I know the effort from the players from the club from the manager in
02:28that time that was Pep so I know exactly the effort that the club put to achieve that kind of
02:34you know
02:35target so I don't have any doubt about that they don't feel tainted to you absolutely not and do you
02:42feel sympathy with your current crop of players because it's not their fault where they are and
02:47they will be taking flak every match between now and the end of the season do you have sympathy for
02:52them again the players I said already that for me for the players we can control just the pitch side
03:04the football side so we are focused on that and this is what we can we can do and we
03:09can control we
03:10cannot control something different okay thanks Steve I you've got the rest of the season to finish
03:19to trust the Premier League do you share the view of your CEO that there's a conspiracy against the
03:24club by the Premier League again I understand the reason why most of you you are here but the only
03:35thing I can say is what I said already that the reason why I joined this club is because I
03:41completely
03:41trust 100% the owner the CEO the sport director all the organization so I don't have any doubt about
03:49that have you had personal assurances from Sheikh Mansour I spoke with the club for sure and we
03:57all trust and probably the right moment to speak about that is when we're going to win this this
04:03appeal and do you have any concerns about Sunday there's a lot of febrile atmosphere around this game
04:08your bus going to Anfield the atmosphere around a lot of anger towards your play to yours towards your
04:15club do you fear the anger towards Manchester City could become something more dangerous it's the
04:20first time I saw your face here so we don't know each other but if you ask the guys that
04:25they are
04:26always there I'm always concerned not just Liverpool I will be concerned also about tips which I know
04:31that Anfield is a nice pitch probably will be even more warm in terms of environment but the
04:39reason why I decide to be manager is for this kind of game hi and so there's we've heard that
04:48pep's
04:48going to be coming to the game on Tuesday now have you spoken to him at all in the last
04:51few days has
04:52he been in touch with you I spoke with the pep the last time after my United game after the
04:57derby that was the last time I spoke with the pep and but I know that he's coming on Tuesday
05:02how much
05:04does it mean to you to know you've got his sort of backing anyway it's always a pleasure he's uh
05:10after 10 years 10 years here he can come at any time he wants not just for the game for
05:15for training
05:16session for at any moment so this will be I think will be nice for him it will be nice
05:22for the fans
05:22for everyone hi Enzo in May 2022 pep Guardiola said that the moment he realizes the club has lied to
05:32him
05:32he will walk away would this be the same for you that you know if it's confirmed would you would
05:39you
05:39consider your position I just said I would like to speak about this situation when we're gonna win
05:45the appeal now it's uh it's it's no sense to speak about anything because uh I don't have many many
05:55many
05:55information but again I understand the reason why you know most of you are here because you want to
06:00hear something but uh no to a certain extent should it maybe be Caldera Mubarak the chairman or
06:07Ferran Soriano who'd be sitting here for this particular press conference answering these
06:10questions because really as you're saying nothing too much to do with you is it should it maybe be your
06:15chairman or your chief executive here don't forget that it's a Liverpool press conference
06:20okay one last one then you said just previously that you trust the club totally at the moment
06:25so could that change sorry that was a wrong answer I completely trust the club in this moment in the
06:32future always thank you so I can modify the answer hi Enzo um obviously on Sunday I'm sure this will
06:40bring the group together out on the pitch but with this hanging over you potentially for weeks or months
06:46how do you avoid that sort of impacting the season no you cannot uh avoid avoid we understand we
06:55completely understand the seriousness of the situation I'm not saying that we don't understand
06:59that we understand the player understand but it's uh it's our duty our job to try to control the noise
07:08also because again the manager and the players we are focused to win games not about something different
07:16Hi Enzo could I just just clarify something that you said to Jamie there about um I completely
07:21understand why you say that you trust the club and you trust what they're saying to you
07:25but if the if the appeal is lost I think that's what we're trying to get to if the appeal
07:30is lost
07:31what happens what do you what happens in your head then and what happens if the appeal we won what's
07:37happening well I can imagine what will happen if you win but yeah but it's the same I don't know
07:41it's
07:41that we are predicting the future I'm not uh again you know that I'm worried about tomorrow
07:47in two days in three days I don't know what's happening in the future the only thing I can say
07:51is that I think it's fair from my point of view from all of us to respect the process the
07:57process
07:58okay verdict there is an appeal ongoing we see what's happening
08:02you made such a good start to the season I would imagine most Manchester City fans would would want
08:07to hear you say even if we lose the appeal I mean I mean for I mean Pep once said
08:12he'd be happy to
08:13manage in league one it was a joke but he still said it I think City fans would probably be
08:17very happy
08:18to hear you say the same I I won the championship with the Leicester so in case a league one
08:26we're going
08:26to see but again we are we are thinking about something that we don't know and just about the players
08:31um
08:32with England last week Thomas Tuchel said that he was a bit concerned about the effects
08:37psychologically on some of the city players that were with him with England have you felt the need
08:42to talk to them about what it might be like on Sunday but not just Sunday for the rest of
08:48the season
08:50viewing the environment in the last two days inside the building
08:54uh no I'm not worried at all again the environment is from the players is is it's nice in this
09:03moment
09:03we are top of the league so the players they have all the reason to be happy and excited
09:11and and so um before the international break you um went to Old Trafford and won with 10 men um
09:17but
09:18is Anfield Liverpool away is there a bigger test in the Premier League you've been before with City and
09:23seeing how difficult it can be there yeah it will be a tough game for sure tough test as you
09:28said
09:29but uh again we need to be we need to be ready not uh only I mean the focus has
09:36to be about the game
09:37but also we know that the environment in Anfield is uh it's nice uh probably will be even worse because
09:44of the situation but uh again will be our duty to do to try to do our best and win
09:49the game in terms of
09:51what you learned from your players at Old Trafford have you got any doubts about them going forward that
09:55they can you know they can face the pressure absolutely they can face the pressure absolutely
10:01we have players that they already experienced a similar situation I don't know Enzo Fernandez is
10:09playing in Argentina Argentina it's uh it's almost every game to go to Anfield so it's not a problem
10:18Hi Enzo you were here in 2022-23 when the the charges were first announced and the team then went
10:26on to
10:27win the treble how did you as players and staff use that that news to kind of rally everyone together
10:36yeah in this moment it's also a matter of you know that be together uh stick together as Erling said
10:44yesterday is true in this moment it's a matter of you know this is the situation this is the noise
10:50but the most important thing is that we continue to do the right things we are you know in the
10:55same
10:55page uh with players with uh the owner the CEO the sport director the funds and again as I said
11:02yesterday what do we need in Anfield it's also you know the passion from our fans their voice
11:07and hopefully at the end we can we can celebrate a good a good win
11:11and Ruben was here Erling was here they're now your captain and vice captain can they help you to
11:17kind of keep carrying the dressing room yeah especially they need to help the teammates
11:22you know and they are they are doing that but again
11:29I like I understand that probably you want to hear to hear or to listen different words from me
11:35but the real words is that the players did yes the noise is there but they are 20 25 years
11:43old you
11:43know they they come they enjoy their training session they go home happy they are top of the league so
11:48the players they are relaxed they are just thinking how we can beat Liverpool and hopefully we're gonna try
12:00you know we're gonna try to keep them all together and is it something that will teach you how to
12:11to do it again this time
12:13exactly in the same way just try to manage the noise because again we understand the seriousness of
12:20the situation we understand the noise completely 100% it's something serious but at the same time
12:28we just need to manage that and focus on on what we can do and we can control that is
12:34try to prepare
12:35the game in the best way try to go to Anfield and win the game Enzo can I just ask
12:41if if the commission's
12:42findings had been published before you agreed to join City would you have still agreed to become the
12:48manager 100% and can I ask ask why that is because again I know the organization from years ago
12:56and I
12:57know how serious they are I know that they they do the right things so again I I would like
13:04to speak
13:05about this when we're gonna win the the appeal and so just following on from that did you act when
13:12you were talking to the club about taking the job did you raise the subject of the charges did they
13:18raise the subject of it at all did it come into the conversation no not to be honest we didn't
13:23speak
13:23about that because I don't think that was a problem for the club in that time also because they are
13:29thinking
13:29in uh in an honest in honest way so I think they are convinced that uh uh at the end
13:38we want to win
13:39the appeal let's take two more just over here and then in the corner
13:45hi Anzo Erling played the four games for Norway how is he feeling now finally ah it's good it's good
13:55he went to Marbella two three days off play golf recovery and ready for Anfield but he's good thank
14:02you how was it to see him again it was good was good also because uh again the players they
14:09are you know
14:10the players they are thinking again international team someday off and go again so it was uh it was good
14:18hi Anzo um it's obviously a strange situation for the players but I know when you played you were involved
14:24at
14:25the time of Calciopoli in Italy and I think you were invested you were interviewed as part of those
14:28investigations what was that experience like for you and can you sort of help the play I know it's
14:34different but also it's similar it's off the field so what do you take from that time and what can
14:38you
14:38tell your players about that it's uh it's quite different situation again the focus for me in that
14:44time that's why I'm seeing that the players with 20 25 years they are just thinking how they can train
14:51how
14:51they can get better and think about uh about the game but uh they are quite a different situation
15:05morning I guess most questions have already been asked but I was just wondering have you read the
15:11verdict yourself or do you trust that the club provides you with all the information you need
15:16uh again I trust the club because I know the people uh but I promise you that uh you know
15:24my my focus is
15:25just about uh football so I'm not uh thinking about different things first of all because I don't
15:32understand many things about different things so I just focus about the things that I control that is
15:38uh the football side okay thank you guys thank you