Erling Haaland Is Unfazed by City’s 114 Charges, Says His Father

• Alfie Haaland says his son Erling “thinks about playing as much football as he can”, per the Mirror.
• An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 of 115 charges and said “sham” contracts disguised funding of more than £830million.
• City maintain their innocence and an appeal is pending.

The Worry Sits Outside the Pitch, Says His Father

Alfie Haaland says the worry over Manchester City’s guilty verdict sits with people outside the pitch, and his son Erling is not among them. Speaking to Viaplay, the father of City’s striker described a player whose mind stays on football. “Erling thinks about playing as much football as he can and concentrates on that. I think it’s more those of us outside the pitch who think a bit more about it,” Alfie said.

The comments arrive with City waiting on an appeal. An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges and said the club used “sham” contracts to disguise funding of more than £830million. City have always maintained their innocence and are confident of clearing their name.

What Alfie Haaland Said About the Verdict

Alfie said the matter had been “circulating for quite a while”. “So finally something came that was concrete, which it is possible to fight against for City as a club,” he said.

His advice to everyone around the team was patience. “Obviously, these are serious allegations, but now there is an appeal case pending to be heard, so I think we have to stay calm, keep our cool, and wait to see how it turns out.”

He was then asked whether it would be unfair to punish the current players over financial irregularities that happened between 2009 and 2018. His answer was yes. “Yes, in a way, one might feel that having to potentially take punishment for something done many years ago… yes, I would say so.”

He returned to the point later in the interview. “The players today had nothing to do with it,” Alfie said, and he noted that the events in question allegedly happened quite a few years ago.

Haaland has reportedly been calming his teammates down about the possible consequences.

A Fair Hearing and a Return to Winning

Alfie said he knows nothing more about the appeal than what is in the media. He called much of the coverage “very one-sided” and said it is hard for City to defend themselves in public while an appeal is ongoing.

“So we hope they get a fair hearing,” he said. The next question, he said, is whether City manage to prove their innocence, and for now everyone has to wait and see.

He also praised the squad. In his view the player group has handled the accusations very well and has stood tall through them. Alfie also pointed out that City lost their last match and said it is “time to get back to winning ways.”

Calls for Calm From Haaland and Maresca

Erling Haaland and his manager both asked for unity in public last month. Before City travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool, Haaland told travelling supporters: “No matter what happens in life, we always have to have a smile. We have to stay positive, look ahead and try to win football games.”

He finished with a short instruction: “stick together, enjoy the ride and smile.”

At his press conference before that game, Enzo Maresca’s response to the verdict was brief. The City manager said “there is a process ongoing and in this moment I completely trust the club.” He added: “There is not another club in the world I would like to be at.”

Viaplay, the broadcaster Alfie spoke to, had a request turned down last month. Its sports director Kristian Oma said no Premier League club permitted questions on the verdict before that weekend’s games.

What Happens Next

Manchester City travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday. The appeal against the verdict is still waiting to be heard.

For Alfie Haaland, the hope is a fair hearing. For Erling, the plan he gave City supporters last month was to stay positive and try to win football games.