City was found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-2010 to 2017-2018, with the league alleging the club used "sham" commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 拢900 million ($1.71 billion).
Marsch claims everyone knew about City's crimes
Canada coach Jesse Marsch has called for Manchester City to be punished severely over breaches of Premier League financial rules, saying his experience managing against the club left him convinced there were inconsistencies in the way it operated.
The club has denied wrongdoing, saying the verdict contained material errors of law, principle and fact, and filed an appeal on Friday (AEST) against the independent commission ruling.
Marsch, who managed Leeds United from 2022 to 2023, said the disparity between the clubs had been apparent to him during his time in England.
"I think Man City should be punished severely. I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew," Marsch said in an interview published in The Guardian.
Marsch also pointed to the 2022 pre-season transfer window, when Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips to City, while both clubs reported making money.
"That [northern hemisphere] summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said we made money. For us, we did make money, because we sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips. We had a lot left over from what we bought," he said.
"At the time, we weren't in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn't have deep pockets. Whereas when Man City says this, I was literally like, 'Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?'"
The American coach was also sceptical about City's signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund that year.
"When they said they got Erling Haaland for 拢52 million, it's like, 'Yeah, OK, sure!' So, I knew there were inconsistencies in it, but what can you do? You just put your arms in the air and go, 'This is football'," Marsch said.
City's appeal will be heard privately by an independent three-member board.
Potential sanctions include fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties, with relegation or the removal of titles also discussed as possible outcomes. It remains unclear whether any sanctions would be imposed before the appeal is decided.
