After scoring a penalty in Norway's 3-1 victory over Wales in the UEFA Nations League, Erling Haaland commented publicly on Manchester City's 115-charge case for the first time.
In September, the football world was rocked to its core when an independent commission found City guilty of their 114 charges. The 40-page verdict revealed that between 2009 and 2018 – a period when they clinched three Premier League titles – Man City had boosted their revenue to £900 million by arranging 'sham contracts' and relying on 'sham agreements' to artificially inflate the club's revenue and reduce its costs.
City have maintained their innocence throughout the case, claiming they have 'irrefutable evidence' to prove it was the government of Abu Dhabi who own the sponsors and not the Cityzens owners, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), topping up funds.
The eight-time Premier League champions appealed the guilty verdict at the start of October, and sanctions – including possible points deductions, expulsion from the top flight, stripping of titles and fines – could be handed down by the start of next year.
Throughout the biggest case in English football history, Enzo Maresca's men have been allowed to play games without any sanctions, and it's been business as usual for Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian has scored 14 goals in as many matches for City in all competitions and, after netting for his country in a 3-1 win over Wales, he was finally asked about the guilty verdict publicly.
"It didn’t start until 2009-2018, so… 2009, I think I played for Bryne FK (0:24) 2010, 2011,2012, 2013. Should we continue?" Haaland told TV 2 Sport in response when the reporter asked about the current "situation" at the Etihad Stadium.
Then, after continuing to list the clubs he played for before joining Red Bull Salzburg from Molde in 2019, he affirmed: "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," the 26-year-old continued.
"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 long-term future at the Etihad Stadium has been a huge topic of discussion across the past few months. It was revealed that the Norwegian goal machine doesn't have a relegation release clause inserted into the bumper nine-and-a-half-year contract – worth a reported £260 million – that he signed in January 2025.
That means the club would instantly look to cash in on the striker if they are expelled from England's top flight, along with several other of their world-class players.
When asked about his thoughts on City's future, Haaland replied: "As I said, I signed a long contract in 2024. I would say that in 2022 I made a relatively good choice to go to City. I can be honest and say that altogether.
"When I look at the trophies I’ve won, the way I’ve developed, both on and off the pitch, I’m standing here just before a match after losing 3-1 with City in the Premier League.
"But we have to try to turn that around on Saturday against Fulham. We can’t focus on that now, and we have to start focusing on Denmark."
City's situation has alerted some of Europe's biggest clubs – including Barcelona – who are very interested in signing Haaland if their guilty verdict is upheld.
