Erling Haaland’s answer to Manchester City’s guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges was a plea for unity. The club’s highest earner told Sky Sports that supporters should stick together, enjoy the ride and smile.

In Norway, that answer has drawn a sharp challenge from one of the country’s newspaper editors.

Bore demands reflection from the game’s biggest earner

Bjørn Kristoffer Bore, editor-in-chief of the Norwegian daily Vårt Land, told Dagbladet that Haaland has a duty to speak publicly about the verdict against his employer. Bore put Haaland’s income from his football career at around 650 million Norwegian kroner a year and argued that an income on that scale carries a responsibility.

“City would probably not have the position they have today if it had not been for the massive cheating,” Bore said.

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“When you turn a blind eye to cheating, it creates more acceptance of cheating. That will be harmful to football,” he added.

Vollsund says his job is to play

Andreas Vollsund, mayor of Time, the Norwegian municipality where Haaland grew up, told Dagbladet he saw no such obligation.

“Haaland’s task is to perform on the pitch, and he does that,” Vollsund said.

The 114 breaches cover 2009 to 2018, years before Haaland arrived at Manchester City. His responsibility as an employee, Vollsund argued, is to play football.

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What Haaland chose to say

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League charges relating to financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018. The Norwegian Football Federation pulled Haaland from a scheduled press conference within hours of the verdict first being reported.

He broke that silence on the eve of Manchester City’s trip to Anfield, where an angry and hostile reception was expected. He told Sky Sports he had spent four years at the club and cared about its supporters.

“We are going to have a good time. We have to stick together, we have to stay positive,” Haaland said.

“No matter what happens in life we always have to have a smile.”

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The 114 breaches themselves were absent from his remarks. Sanctions still to be decided range from fines to points deductions and the stripping of titles.

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