Erling Haaland sends bullish message over 115 FFP charges facing Man City as goal machine points to unprecedented new 9.5-year contract

Erling Haaland has reiterated his confidence in Manchester City's innocence in the face of the financial charges that still hang over the club.

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WHAT HAPPENED?
Not for the first time, Haaland has said that the 115 Premier League charges against City are not a factor in his ongoing belief in the club. The Norwegian recently signed a new nine-and-a-half-year contract until 2034 - the longest any major side has ever handed out - and suggested, when quizzed on the matter while on international duty, that is enough evidence of his faith in City's project.

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WHAT ERLING HAALAND SAID
Haaland said: "I don't [doubt the club], obviously, when I sign a nine-and-a-half-year contract. I've said 300 times why I signed the contract. I talked to the club, got a good feeling and agreed to it in the end. That's why."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The case of 115 Premier League charges relating to alleged breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018 remains unresolved. The case has been heard, concluding in December, but a decision from the independent panel tasked with assessing any guilt is yet to be made. City stand accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and the insinuation, stretching back to a series of damning articles from German publication Der Spiegel in 2018, is that revenue has been artificially inflated to aid spending outside of what would typically be allowed.

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WHAT NEXT?
City have always denied wrongdoing when it comes to the charges and the long-running process still may not be resolved quickly. Any verdict, whichever way it goes, is likely to be subject to further challenges or appeals. It could even be that, if there is perceived guilt on City's part, that sanctions - in theory, unlimited - are not actually issued for a long time. There is no known timeframe for the verdict to be made or revealed, although Pep Guardiola has previously optimistically pointed to the end of March for it, now just days away. When a document detailing the verdict does finally come, it has been tipped to "explode" due to what it will contain.

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