Jesse Marsch has called for Manchester City to be relegated after an independent commission found the club guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges, arguing that the warning signs had been obvious across the division for years. The former Leeds United manager, now in charge of Canada, spoke from the perspective of a coach whose side went down in 2022-23 while the champions completed a historic treble.
Key takeaways
- An independent commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 alleged breaches.
- The findings concern a concealed funding arrangement said to have hidden more than €1 billion between 2009 and 2018.
- City maintain that they have done nothing wrong and have launched an appeal, extending the process.
- Marsch believes a severe punishment, including relegation, is warranted.
- Leeds finished below Everton and Nottingham Forest in 2022-23, with both clubs later hit by points deductions for financial-rule breaches.
Marsch recalls Leeds’ financial reality
Marsch managed Leeds during the 2022-23 campaign, the season in which they fell through the trapdoor. At the other end of the table, City won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, while Leeds were working within far narrower limits.
He said that, during the summer of 2022, Leeds and City were the only clubs to report profits. Leeds, he explained, had genuinely brought money in through the sales of Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City, having made a healthy return on the fees originally paid for the pair.
“We had to save money,” Marsch said, pointing to the financial restrictions faced by Leeds’ ownership. “They did not have vast wealth behind them.”
That was why City’s own profit declaration struck him as difficult to accept. Marsch recalled thinking: “Are you kidding me? Is this a joke?”
Call for the drop as appeal continues
The commission concluded that City used a hidden-financing system over the period from 2009 to 2018, masking secret funds worth in excess of €1 billion. The club have consistently denied wrongdoing and their appeal means the final outcome is likely to remain unresolved for some time.
Marsch’s view is clear. “Manchester City should be punished heavily,” he said. “I think they should go down. And everybody knew. Everybody knew.”
He also recalled the reaction when City signed Erling Haaland for more than €61 million. His response, he said, was effectively: “Yes, of course.” In his view, that was simply the modern football landscape, even if it made little sense beside allegations that financial regulations had been breached.
For Marsch, the lingering frustration is not confined to City. Leeds’ relegation left them beneath Everton and Nottingham Forest, clubs subsequently docked points for their own failures to meet Premier League financial rules. In a league where the table is supposed to settle arguments, the numbers have continued to follow some clubs long after the final whistle.
