"Calm" Maresca gives first interview since guilty verdict Paper Talk

Sky Sports News

Sky Sports News' Paper Talk discusses Manchester City's response to the guilty verdict, Southampton's Spygate punishment, FIFA and UEFA power politics, and England Women's World Cup qualifying

The show focuses on the fallout from Manchester City being found guilty by the Premier League Independent Commission, analysing public comments from Maresca and Haaland as well as Burnham's response; City strongly deny the charges and have appealed. It then debates whether Southampton's Spygate punishment was too light, the power dynamics around Infantino and Ceferin, and England Women's difficult World Cup qualifying path.

► Subscribe to Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWSkySportsYT Tune in live for Paper Talk as Sky Sports News takes a look at the biggest stories on tomorrow's back pages. SkySportsNews SkySports PaperTalk ► For the latest developments on this story: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/topstories ► For the latest transfer news: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/TransferCentre More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsnews ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsNews ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage

Transcript

Hello there. Time now for paper talk here on [music] Sky Sports News. Bringing you a first look at the sports stories in the morning's newspapers. Joining us this time around, Miguel Delaney, the independent chief football writer, and Jonathan Louu, the Guardian [music] sports writer. Welcome to you both. Let's see what the back pages have brought us. In the Express, bright and early is the headline [music] in reference to Erin Harland's interview with Sky Sports where he urges his Manchester City teammates [music] and fans to stick together and smile. Yeah. A number of papers using those images of [music] Enzo Moresca in the Telegraph. We got to roll with it. Harland tells fans to smile and enjoy the ride [music] as Moresca channels Oasis spirits amid cheating scandal. In the Mail, [music] they lead on what they call a defiant message from Moresca, who says the club's players are only focused on football matters on the pitch. And the Guardian also [music] splash on Man City as well, including a fans perspective. Elsewhere, Infantino rival puts Conquer ahead of FIFA presidency [music] run. We'll have more on that later in the show. Okay, Jonathan Miguel, great to have you back on paper talk. Let's start with Manchester City then and public comments for the first time from Enzo Moresca and Erin Harland since City were found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules by the Premier League Independent Commission. Now, City strongly deny those charges and have appealed the verdict. Let's take you to the back page of the Telegraph once again. City, we got to roll with it is their headline. Harland tells fans to smile and enjoy the ride as Moresca channels Oasis spirit amid cheating scandal. Let's start with Moresca Miguel and what you made of his interview. He was obviously speaking to in-house media. Um, so I suppose we can't expect anything too juicy in terms of the the comments he was going to give us. It was a very professional interview. What was your take on what he said? >> Yeah, and it does feel certainly a bit of a strategy here, especially giving all the very conspicuous smiles in so many of the photos and the approach. And that's also true of the Harland interview. And I suppose it's one of many remarkable elements in this story that we've had as big a crisis as any club can ever face, but because it's been the international break, no one's been around. So we've almost as one of kind of Manny weight throughout this whole case. We've been kind of there's been this anticipation about how the City players would be re would react. I mean another few details are obviously going to be interesting over the next few days or what's been said in the squad, how they gathered together. But yeah, it did feel like um I mean Moresca they've had a lot of time to plan what he would say here and it was obviously trying to radiate a certain assertiveness uh that follows on from the club's wider approach to having been found guilty in the uh by by the independent commission. >> Yeah and a clarity on that. It is the independent uh commission that have found City guilty of those charges. Jonathan, let me get your take on this on Moresca. A a public show of support for the club and the hierarchy. >> Yeah, and to be to be fair, it would have been would have been kind of weird to expect anything else. Uh you know, I don't think we we were going to be seeing headlines today saying Moresca, I'm really bricking it to be honest. uh you know that that that sort of united front from Moresca from Harland uh from the the hierarchy uh all the way up to Abu Dhabi I think that is very much of a piece with the the counter strategy that that that we've seen from City so far uh and you know actually quite from quite a lot of the club's fans you know this this air of defiance that that there is all this noise outside that you know I I think all the way back to Guardiola uh a couple of seasons ago saying that people want to disappear city off the face of the earth uh that that people are prejudging them uh guilty before before a verdict has been reached. there has always been this sense that that this siege mentality uh that they tried to cultivate which you know you have to assume is a culture that comes from from the very top in a way you know City launching this appeal has almost kind of put the pin back in the brigade today sorry back in the grenade uh you know you saw Lampard saying like you know um not really sure what what we can say with an appeal going on it's almost sort of put this put this whole thing on on hiatus for a little bit longer so yeah the telegraph telegraph headline we got to roll with it but city are also going to be taking their M >> uh in the Express, bright and early is their headline. A photo there of Erin Harland as he arrived at training. Striker urges under fire city and fans to stick together and smile. He's the one that's been put up for interview uh then in terms of current players. Miguel, what did you make of his statement? It was very much a show of positivity. >> Yeah, and very much fronting up, I suppose. Obviously Holland aside from being one of the best players in the world over the past half decade became one of its most um charismatic characters over that World Cup really kind of captivated America and it was almost kind of like a you bring that same personality to this interview which I'm sure the club leadership would love but something that did strike today I must say h through Halen talking like this talking about as if it's a you know the way the way he was speaking was almost as if this is a bit of a bad run results h [snorts] Moresca had a line in his in his interview as well about how we will bring our game plan on Sunday which of course you know he he has to prepare for the game in the normal way but it does seem quite strange to be to be even mentioning anything that is normal football in what is the most abnormal situation the most abnormal of Premier League fixtures I mean it is I think Sunday so I'm I'm going up to it has an argument to be the most significant Premier League fixture in history and it kind of sums up a bit of kind of the modern era and it does feel like so much of that of significance is about anything other than the football. I mean, this isn't exactly a game to be previewing with say the previous meetings between Enzo Moresca and um and Areola or whether Jac can handle can handle Hal and that sort of thing because it's about everything around it and that noise that Moresca mentioned especially the atmosphere which does feel like it's going to be the most uh focused on aspect of the day. >> Yeah, there's definitely going to be some added spice to uh this fixture. It's already a rockus fixture in the football calendar already. Let's go back to the back page of the mirror again splashing with a picture of Harland as he arrived for training whole together. Erland calls for City to show unity after 114 charges verdict. Jonathan, your take on on this show of positivity and whether that may be welcomed [clears throat] by the fans who've really been through it over the last two weeks. >> Definitely will be welcomed by the fans. I think you know if if you are a city fan who's been the brunt of all the WhatsApp groups over the last couple of weeks I think you know you are looking for for a little bit of leadership a little bit of defiance uh and and Harland certainly providing that one one aspect of this that does kind of make me ponder you know we we have seen the defiance from the club hierarchy from Guardiola from ex- players like Rodri uh and now from from Harland and Moresca and it does make me wonder if you know should the the appeal fail Should there be kind of a definitive verdict that that doesn't of brookke any kind of ambiguity? How how is this how is the club and how are its personnel how it people going to react to it? Are they going to accept a verdict? uh because they've almost sort of you know dug themselves into into this position really kind of entrenched themselves that the line being that the club have told us that we're going to be you know cleared and then you know this is very much the behavior of a club that that thinks it's still going to get off that thinks it's still going to be vindicated entirely and utterly and it's it's going to be really interesting to see what happens if that doesn't transpire uh you know at what point the cracks begin to show in the facade if if at all. Okay, let's bring you some uh an updated uh statement from Andy Burman, the uh prime minister. He's insisted that he did not downplay, as he was criticized of doing, he did not downplay the seriousness of the claims against Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners. Um he said, and these are his quotes, I haven't downplayed the seriousness of the findings. They are findings that need to be considered with great care and seriousness and then the process that considers them needs to be fully independent. He goes on to say, I think it's important to separate the football issues from wider investment. The football issues have to be looked at fully and that is without question. Miguel, your thoughts on what Andy Bernham had to say? >> Well, I suppose it was a step forward for Bernham that he didn't have to issue a clarification to the clarification this time. And it must be said for someone that is kind of as media savvy and as good a public speaker as Burnham I mean that even his comments today I thought he muddled through them a bit the way he spoke around them repeating words and all this he hasn't sounded very thorough I would say on this whole topic and obviously it has brought much greater focus and say you know the Abu Dhabi h investments in Manchester as a whole as well as his own relationship with Abu Dhabi as mayor of Manchester which is in many ways this story has spilled out in so many other directions and why it's so much bigger than football. But also I think the way Burnham or sorry not the way he spoken because obviously today he clarified his comments a bit but the way he previously kind of all the noise about the process it does point to something that Jonathan touched on there which is that I think in the counter strategy city have been quite successful in I think how aggressively they've pushed their resistance to this their appeal and hence you see a lot of people in football particularly a lot of managers today who kind of don't want to talk about the process because they they talk about it as if it's ongoing and yes there is an appeal but it should clarified. We have actually had a conclusive outcome so far. They have been found guilty. We can say that people can talk about it in that context and that's also why you touch on something else Jonathan said there and I suppose it's relevant to Burnham as well. People in football have been I must say stunned at the uh at the aggression of City's response. They would have thought given how strong the Premier League's decision was, sorry, the independent commission's decision was that there would have been a bit more mitigation by now, maybe an attempt at damage limitation, but then people in geopolitics would say that's exactly what to expect when ultimately uh all this comes or is an extension of Abu Dhabi general policy and an autocratic state's general policy. >> Uh Miguel Jonathan, great to get your thoughts. A reminder though that Manchester City are appealing the decision and maintain that they have a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence which will clear their name. Okay, we're going to take a quick break now. When we come back, we'll be looking at more of the sports stories in [music] the morning's newspapers, including this in the mirror at the top of the page there. Ecka relief for spy boss. >> [music] >> Hello again. Welcome back to paper talk and welcome back to Miguel Delaney, the independent chief football writer and Jonathan Louu, the Guardians sports [music] writer. Let's take you to the back page of the mirror now in that right hand column. Eck of a relief for spy boss is the headline. Tonda Echart we're talking now and he's spoken about his relief at getting some clarity in the Spygate saga ahead of Sunday's championship derby clash with their bitter South Coast rivals Portsmouth Miguel any shock in the length of the ban handed out and the fact that it's suspended until the end of next season. So when it came out, I must say I immediately got respon. I was at that leaders in in sport conference at Stamford Bridge yesterday where obviously aside from endless conversations about Manchester City, this is probably the next most uh talked about topic and most of all I think there was surprise at how light the punishment was. Now funny speaking to people within who work in football there've been a little bit of debate about this just because of the question of how much advantage you can actually glean especially with how kind of coaches change their plans like coaches now are quite secretive and even and in some cases don't even name first 11s until late because of the danger of leagues but on the whole I would say the overriding response has been s I think they they there's a feeling that Southampton and Echart have been fortunate here Um, and it's an interesting one, Jonathan. I'd like to get your thoughts on this and and and bring you in on this one. I in the, uh, findings, uh, the commission said that Echart showed a genuine contrition which, uh, enabled them to perhaps suspend the ban and they took that into consideration. And indeed, he's actually made efforts, hasn't he, to further understand British sporting law, English sporting law and rules. and he's he's told us how he's reached out to sporting figureheads to learn more about the culture. >> Yeah, that's right. Right. I mean, there's a fascinating interview uh he he's done like an in-depth interview with with the German German press, a German magazine called called Elf Hoinda uh about his his summer, his turbulent summer, and he he disclosed that he he he went and called Gareth Southgate, he called Eddie Jones, the former England rugby coach, uh to to essentially get an idea of of English footballing culture and the English mentality towards rules, rules that he he, you know, he freely admits he was unaware of. you know, he as as he says, it was um you know, he he was unaware that that that spying on on other teams uh was was not was not allowed in the EFL where it's quite common in Germany. Uh he he he talked about uh memorizing all all 137 rules in the FA rule book. A little bit too late, but you know, that that was obviously ahead of the hearing. Um so so none none of this really kind of none of this excuses what what he did. You know, obviously you can argue about the the size of the advantage that you gain it, but if you're not going to gain an advantage, why are you doing it? But I think it does help to explain uh it does help to provide a little bit of context. I think Ekker is a is a young coach who is I think fully like he fessed up to what he did. And I think as we've seen in in other kind of sporting disciplinary cases, that's the first step, I think. You know, admitting what what what you've done wrong and and you know, not not dragging this thing out uh you know, longer than you need to. I think I think that he's got a lot of credit for that. Plus the fact that Southampton, I guess, have been punished quite severely as a club already in terms of, you know, losing that that potential 200 million poundfall from from not reaching the playoff final. Uh the four-point deduction they've got this season. I I guess that you know the panel would have would have taken into account that Southampton the club have already been punished and then you know you know whether you compound that by then punishing the coach as well. >> Okay, let's move on to um FIFA then. And and in the Guardian, this story has been reflected where Infantino rival puts Conqueraf ahead of FIFA presidency run. Uh so this is Victor Montaglani. He's told Conquer Cafe staff that he intends to stand for reelection as the Confederation's president next year, which rule him out of going up against Jenny Infantino for the top job at FIFA. Um he was [clears throat] expected perhaps or there was potential that he would stand against Janney Infantino, Miguel, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen now. Yeah, there's been a few uh linked stories today that I think really spell out how football politics and football governance work at that level. And basically what this comes down to is despite there being I would say at least three stories this year that in any sort of normal political circumstance would have been resignation matters for Infantino even before the FIFA Forward Enterprise crisis. He knows he doesn't have to because of the way the way FIFA's patronage system works. He still had people were saying at least 50% of the votes throughout the FIFA crisis. Now, if you speak to people who work in those in those circles, they think he did best get or he did best lose maybe 15 to 30 votes. was the danger and someone like Montlani would have known this that you you go up and you just get completely humiliated and that wouldn't just I suppose um kill any resistance but it would also I suppose it would just the nature of the defeat would embolden Infantino and and give him his mandate and I suppose the thinking on in this kind of UEFA conquer alliance that has been trying to oust Infantino [snorts] is that it's better to just run no candidate then put up a candidate who is completely humiliated. >> Uh, and another added uh part to this story, Jonathan, is that uh Sepharin uh the UEFA head is going to try and stand for a fourth term. He says uh that's what his national associations want. They've asked him to do that, all 55 of them at UEFA, and that's what he's going to do. Your take though on the fact that he was calling for Jani Infantino to to perhaps step down and not allow these presidents at this level to have these infinite terms, but yet he's standing for an unprecedented fourth term himself. What's your take? >> Yeah, bit bit of an open secret this, you know, even though Zephrin in in 2024 kind of he he he basically pledged that he wouldn't stand for a fourth time, it's it's been known for for quite a while that that that that is actually what he was intending to do. And the talk from from around UEA has been about stability and and m you know maintaining a kind of continuity uh at the top which you know you could you could take that with a pinch of salt but that that that is essentially uh you know I think that's what the the consensus view at the top of European football is right now certainly within UEFA um and I think it it also shows that you know seeing as Sephron was was one of the guys who along with Montaglani people were you know maybe pushing you in his ears urging him to to um you know to challenge Infantino. I think it shows the the sheer impossibility like the the really the real challenge of managing to to put up a name that is going to challenge Inpatino and and is his inexraable power base. Um so yeah like Miguel says uh it it is one thing to start to start calling for reform and and shouting you know the that the the FIFA regime needs to change but actually finding the votes finding the candidate you know actually getting the getting the numbers that you need to make that happen in reality uh is proving a much harder task. >> It really is. And so as it stands Miguel the only person that has put their head above the parapit willing to stand against Janney Infantino is Ramon Vega. He needs five association votes. Will he get them? What do you make of his chances? >> Um, he might get the votes. H, I don't think it'll actually mean anything. It hasn't there shades of kind of what in in 2014, 2015 when there were a few