Manchester City will face PSG on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium for the second matchday of their Champions League campaign and the game against the French giants is a really ironic coincidence. Wednesday's clash will be the first home game played by the team led by Enzo Maresca after an independent commission upheld 114 of 115 charges brought by the Premier League in relation to City's violations of the competition's financial rules, and it will take place against PSG, another big European team that had to face similar issues in the past. The Citizens are dealing with the most challenging moment of their recent history, as the club are appealing and have maintained their innocence as they and the rest of the league await news of a sanction that could deepen the crisis for the eight-time English champions and the English game as a whole.
The match at the Etihad follows the heated away game against Liverpool that took place on Sunday, when the home crowd protested Maresca's team before and during the game. However, Erling Haaland and his teammates reacted on the field and delivered a strong performance, winning 3-0 at Anfield. The home fans are expected to support the club and the ownership, as they also did it when traveling on Sunday at Liverpool and will also be joined by former team manager Pep Guardiola, who will make his first comeback at the Etihad for the first time since he left the club in the summer, when he was replaced by Maresca.
Earlier this month, Guardiola wrote in a social media post, "I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, [manager] Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together.
I love you all." Guardiola was the manager of Manchester City from 2016 to 2026, winning also the 2023 edition of the UEFA Champions League, the first one won by the club. In recent days, following the publication of the independent commission's verdict, questions have emerged over whether Manchester City could be stripped of their Champions League title. Speculation has also mounted over the possibility of the club losing domestic honors, including Premier League titles.
However, as things stand, there is no indication that City's 2023 European crown is under threat. Manchester City are appealing against the decision of the Premier League's independent commission investigation which determined that between the 2009-10 season and the 2017-18 season, City breached spending limits, had "sham" contracts, misstated their accounts, and did other things to make it seem as if their revenue was in line with Premier League spending limits. UEFA, the European governing body, didn't open a new procedure against Manchester City following the recent events, but sources told Sky Sport UK that "UEFA is monitoring developments and will wait until the end of the Premier League's disciplinary process before deciding whether to take any potential action against Manchester City." From 2009 to 2018, Manchester City were found to have broken the Premier League's financial rules, including five charges of failing to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules (FFP).
At the time of the breaches, FFP rules required clubs to operate within set break-even limits, meaning their spending had to be broadly in line with their football-related revenues. UEFA have previously sanctioned Manchester City for breaking the FFP rules. In 2014, the English club entered into a settlement agreement with the European body which included a $60 million fine, but were told they would get €40 million back if they stuck to the terms of their settlement.
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