Tuchel spoke to reporters in Rijeka on Friday, the day after Manchester City formally lodged their appeal against the Premier League commission’s finding of guilt. For a story so far shaped by legal arguments and appeal timelines, his comments pushed the focus onto the players.
“Are they worried or like are they concerned? I think that would be a very human reaction if you don’t know what’s going on for the club that you signed.”
“They’re still young. They’re ambitious. They’re told they are totally innocent and don’t know what’s going on.”
The subject had been impossible to avoid inside the England set-up.
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“If it’s a distraction, I don’t know. It’s the honest answer, but it is of course a topic and we speak about it at dinner and at a table of eight or 12 people.”
“Of course, we speak about it at breakfast. And I know that the Man City players get a lot, a lot of messages and phone calls and feedback about it.”
The £830m sham sponsorships behind the verdict
An independent Premier League commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against the club on 25 September. The ruling covers the period from 2009 to 2018.
Eighty charges relate to sponsorship income the commission said had been artificially inflated by around £830 million through “sham” arrangements with Abu Dhabi-linked companies, mainly Etihad and Etisalat. A further 35 charges concerned the club’s failure to co-operate with the investigation.
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Sanctions have not yet been handed down. Points deductions, financial penalties, title stripping and even relegation from the Premier League are all possible, according to a review of the available options.
City claim ‘irrefutable evidence’ and lodge appeal
Manchester City have rejected the verdict and will contest it. The club confirmed in a statement that it filed its appeal at 7pm on Thursday 1 October.
“The club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.”
“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.”
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If City go down, Tuchel will still pick them
The England internationals currently in Tuchel’s camp include Elliot Anderson, who joined City from Nottingham Forest in July in a £116m deal that set a British transfer record.
His City team-mate Nico O’Reilly was named in the squad but withdrew with an injury before Tuesday’s win over the Czech Republic. Phil Foden, City’s other long-serving England regular, was not called up for this window.
Tuchel was asked whether he would still select Manchester City players if the sanctions eventually include relegation.
“I think I will always try to pick the best team for the camp, for the occasion, for the tournament, and I will never rule out that they don’t play in the top flight in their country.”
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England meet Croatia at Stadion HNK Rijeka on Saturday.
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