Haaland Reads Out His Youth Teams When Asked About City’s 114 Charges

• Erling Haaland answered a question about Manchester City’s Premier League charges by listing his youth teams from 2009 to 2018, per the Mirror.
• He told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 that he is focused on performing for City and is incredibly happy at the club.
• Haaland signed a five-year deal in 2022 and a new nine-and-a-half-year deal in late 2024.

Haaland Points to His Contract and Leaves the Verdict to the Panel

Erling Haaland was asked about Manchester City’s Premier League charges on live television, and he answered with his own career. Norway had just beaten Wales 3-1 at home in the Nations League, with Haaland adding a finish and an assist, when TV 2 asked him about the situation at his club. He picked up the years of the investigation and went through them one by one.

“The investigation covered 2009 to 2018. In 2009, I played for Bryne U9s. In 2010, the U10s; in 2011, the U11s; 2012, the U12s; 2013, the U13s. Shall we continue? We don’t need the whole list.”

The list keeps going

He carried on anyway.

“2014, the U14s; 2015, the U15s and the national team, then the U16s, I think. In 2016, I moved up to Bryne’s first team, second team and youth team. In 2017, I went to Molde. In 2018, I was with Molde: the first team, Molde 2 and a bit with the youth team.”

Then he said why the question was hard for him to answer. “So this is a question I struggle to answer because it’s a legal battle… It’s a case between the Premier League and Manchester City that a panel will deal with. Am I supposed to answer that? I’m not really sure.”

The case behind the question is the guilty verdict on 114 charges against City. The club were found guilty of 114 charges relating to serious violations of the league’s financial regulations over a nine-season stretch. City are appealing against the independent commission’s decision and insist they are innocent of the allegations.

Haaland then named the Norwegians who were at City in that era.

“There were quite a few Norwegians at the club during that period, I think. Abdisalam Ibrahim, Martin Samuelsen and Omar Elabdellaoui were there. Kjetil Haug was there too. I think there were a couple more, but I can’t remember.”

He added: “But it’s a difficult question to answer when I don’t really know that much about it. I assume the answers will come… I don’t know when. I haven’t read much about it.”

“I’m a City player”

Haaland then turned to his own position.

“To be completely honest, I’m focused on trying to perform for Manchester City. A club I signed a five-year deal with in 2022 and a new nine-and-a-half-year deal in late 2024. I think that says everything about the matter. I’m a City player, and I’m incredibly happy there.”

The interviewer then asked whether the situation influences his thoughts on his long-term future at the club.

“I understand that you want a little headline here, but as I said, I signed a long-term contract in 2024. I’d say I made a pretty good choice by joining City in 2022. We can all agree on that. I won’t say it myself, but look at the trophies I’ve won and how I’ve developed on and off the pitch.”

He finished by turning to the football in front of him.

“I’m standing here after winning an international 3-1, and we’re top of our group in Europe. Things aren’t going so well for City in the league, but we’ll try to turn that around against Fulham. But we can’t focus on that now. Now we have to focus on Denmark.”

What comes next

City’s appeal is still to come, and what City must prove is the question a panel will decide. Haaland has said where he stands: he is a City player and he is incredibly happy at the club.

His immediate job is with Norway. Haaland and his teammates must win in Denmark on Tuesday to book a place in the Nations League quarter-finals. After that, his attention returns to City, whose next league game is against Fulham. His father, Alfie, told Viaplay earlier this month that Erling is unfazed by the charges.