Man City charges: Ruben Dias reveals “quick” response from squad after guilty Premier League verdict

Manchester City captain Ruben Dias has provided insight into how the first-team squad reacted to the club being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations.

Last month, an independent commission found City guilty of all charges in relation to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules and the majority of charges related to its failure to co-operate with the division’s investigation.

The Citizens have been accused of using "sham" contracts to disguise in excess of £830m in secret funding and artificially inflate revenues between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

Owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, Man City have insisted that the club is “innocent”, claiming that “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists”, and they have subsequently lodged an appeal.

On the pitch, Man City have responded to the adversity in professional fashion, securing a convincing 3-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield to remain at the top of the Premier League table with a perfect record after six games.

Dias has played at the heart of City’s defence in every PL match this term, helping Enzo Maresca’s side keep three clean sheets, and he is expected to captain the Sky Blues once again for their blockbuster Champions League battle with holders Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Ahead of this mouthwatering fixture, Dias addressed the media at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday and was able to share his views on Man City’s guilty verdict for the first time since the news broke.

Dias: ‘We will defend the club, we will fight for it’

The Portugal international has confirmed that Man City’s squad “quickly” responded to the news by holding a meeting to discuss the club's guilty verdict for "peace of mind".

"When it broke, we felt we should have a conversation as soon as we got back," Dias told reporters.

"We did, for everyone to be on the same page and be clear about our peace of mind. We moved on from there.

"It happened in a moment when we were not together, but quickly we reached out to each other, found calm and progressed forward."

Discussing the importance of his role as Man City captain, replacing Kevin De Bruyne in the summer, Dias added: "Specifically for what's happening, I would say just as any other year, any other captain, any other responsibility because to be the captain of your team it's to always be there for whatever is needed.

"And this time, it's maybe a different challenge - well, not different because it's happened in the past already. And I'm here for it, and so will be the other three captains, and so will be the rest of the team. We will defend the club, we will fight for it, and we trust the club!"

Dias has also responded to widespread criticism Man City players and supporters have received for how they celebrated last weekend’s Premier League win at Anfield during uncertain times for the club.

Dias: ‘People don’t love us winning and we love to win’

Earlier at the press conference, Maresca defended Man City’s celebrations at full time, and Dias has said that “I very much stand by the manager's words”.

He continued: “It's a win at Anfield! In whatever circumstance, so be it now maybe earlier in the season, so be it later in the season, any time - I and we will enjoy it just as much, and we will celebrate it however it feels in the moment, and it will obviously be a show of how much it means to us!"

"Whenever you win, there's people not happy with it because they have the same ambition, they want to win as well, and we do our own… We do what we do, we go on the pitch, we play football, and we win."

Dias has highlighted the importance of Erling Haaland’s goals leadership and how he was central to Man City’s celebrations at Anfield.

"Obviously it's him, he's important just as everyone else in the team. He talked about mental strength, which obviously is one to bring out, how calm everyone has been, how mentally strong everyone has been.

"Trusting the club and just playing with a smile on their faces and that shows a lot of character."

Man City are now preparing for their first home fixture since the guilty verdict and will bid to extend their impressive winning run in all competitions to nine matches when they face PSG, with Maresca sending a clear message as to how his side can beat the defending UCL champions.