Erling Haaland Breaks Long-Held Silence on Manchester City Guilty Verdict on Norway Duty

Erling Haaland Breaks Long-Held Silence on Manchester City Guilty Verdict on Norway Duty How did Manchester City fans react to the independent panel guilty verdict on September 29? More Videos Haaland, 26, scored an 88th-minute penalty in Norway's 3-1 UEFA Nations League win over Wales on Saturday night, after Antonio Nusa and Andreas Schjelderup had put the hosts in control in the second half. An independent commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 charges relating to the nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, in a verdict published on 29 September that found the club's revenues had been inflated and its costs reduced by more than £900 million. City declared their innocence on the day of the ruling and lodged a comprehensive appeal at 7pm on 1 October, with the hearing reported to be scheduled for mid-December and any sanctions not expected until next year. This is a question I struggle to answer, says Haaland in defiant response to Man City guilty verdict Speaking to TV 2 Sport after the win over Wales, Haaland was asked about the verdict as the Manchester City number nine finally addressed the elephant in the room. The Leeds-born striker said: "It didn't start until 2009-2018, so 2009, I think I played for Bryne FK in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Should we continue? "So this is a question I struggle to answer. It's a legal battle; I don't know how to say it in Norwegian. It's a case between the Premier League and Manchester City , which will be brought up with a panel and such. "Should I answer this? I don't know. We had a lot of Norwegians in the club at that time. But it's a bit of a difficult case to answer when I don't really know that much." Haaland came through the youth ranks at his hometown club Bryne before moving on to Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund ahead of his switch to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2022. The Norway international added: "I don't know when the answer will be; I haven't read much about it, to be honest. "I'm focused on trying to perform for Manchester City, a club I signed a five-year contract with in 2022, and a nine-and-a-half-year contract with at the end of 2024. So I think that's really about it. I'm a City player, and I'm incredibly happy about that." Haaland's commitment to Man City and the case so far Haaland's current contract was confirmed in January 2025 and runs until 2034, with Spanish outlet Sport having previously reported that the deal does not contain a release clause tied to relegation or any other circumstance. The striker joined City from Dortmund for a reported £51 million in June 2022 and scored 36 Premier League goals in his debut campaign at the club, a single-season record for the competition, as Pep Guardiola's side won the treble. His father Alf-Inge declined to discuss whether the contract includes any clause linked to the charges when asked by Viaplay earlier this month, although he said it would be unfair to punish the current squad for events during 2009-2018, as today's players had no involvement in the matters the commission ruled on. The striker has scored nine Premier League goals this season, six of them headers, but he failed to score in the defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest that followed the 2-1 loss at Aston Villa . Those three straight league defeats have left Manchester City six points behind leaders Arsenal heading into the international break, with Enzo Maresca having vowed to use the two-week pause to resolve the problems behind that run. Should City's appeal fail, the independent commission has wide-ranging powers to impose sanctions ranging from fines and points deductions to expulsion from the Premier League, with any punishment also open to appeal. Rival clubs including Manchester United and Tottenham have been reported to be preparing civil claims worth around £800 million in total following the commission's findings. Norway face Denmark in their final Nations League group game this week, with Stale Solbakken's side still in contention for a top-two group finish following the win over Wales. Manchester City return from the international break at home to Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on November 21, before hosting Napoli in the Champions League on November 24 and visiting Arsenal on November 29.