Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca said Friday he has absolute faith the club will win its appeal after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

In his first press conference since the bombshell announcement last week, the Italian also rejected any suggestion that City’s haul of silverware over the past 15 years was now tainted.

“I completely trust the club,” said Maresca, appointed as City manager in June having also previously worked at the Etihad as a member of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff.

“I trust the club because I trust the people and this is also the reason why I joined the club… there is not another club in the world where I would like to be.”

An independent commission found City had arranged “sham” contracts with a number of their commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by over £900 million ($1.2 billion) over a nine-season period, between 2009 and 2018.

The 10-time English champions, who continue to deny any wrongdoing, are appealing against the judgement.

They likely face a severe points penalty that could lead to relegation or even expulsion from the Premier League if they fail to overturn the verdicts.

“The reason why I joined this club is because I completely trust 100 percent the owner, the CEO, the sporting director, all the organisation. So I don’t have any doubt about that,” said Maresca.

“I spoke with the club for sure and we all (have) trust and the right moment to speak about that is when we win this appeal.”

- Guardiola support -

Since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008, City have become the dominant force in English football.

They have won eight Premier League titles, the Champions League and multiple other trophies over the past 15 years.

Maresca rejected the suggestion those successes were now tainted.

But Manchester United boss Michael Carrick said he felt “personally” affected having missed out on the Premier League title to City when playing for the Red Devils in ²⁰¹¹⁄₁₂.

“I’ve got my own questions about it. It’s affected me personally in different ways over a period of time,” Carrick told reporters on Friday.

“It’s unprecedented, you know, a unique situation to be in this, at this level with such a huge impact in so many ways. So, we all need to know what’s going to happen, really. I think that’s pretty clear.”

Liverpool also have a major axe to grind after finishing runners-up to City three times in the past 12 years.

City’s first outing since the guilty verdict is at Anfield on Sunday and Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola also called for the uncertainty affecting the whole Premier League to be clarified as swiftly as possible.

“I think the worst thing probably is the uncertainty, that no one knows what’s going to happen,” said the Spaniard.

Guardiola stepped down at the end of last season after a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad but is set to attend their next home game against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday as a show of support.

Maresca has made a flawless start to his reign in charge, with City winning all five of their Premier League games so far to top the table.

City are set for a hostile reception when they travel to Anfield, the home of their fierce rivals, but Maresca said his players would stay focused on the match.

“Probably (it) will be even more warm in terms of environment. But the reason why I decided to be a manager is for this kind of game,” he said.

“In this moment, we are top of the league, so the players have all the reasons to be happy and excited.”