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Manchester City captain Ruben Dias has revealed that the club’s players held a meeting to discuss an independent commission’s guilty verdict over breaches of Premier League financial rules, insisting the squad has since moved on.
Dias said the players agreed to address the verdict as soon as they reunited after the international break, seeking clarity and peace of mind amid the controversy surrounding the club.
“When it broke, we felt we should have a conversation as soon as we got back,” Dias said at a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
“We did, for everyone to be on the same page, and be clear about our peace of mind. We moved on from there.”
He added that the players had contacted one another while they were apart and quickly agreed to focus on their football.
“It happened in a moment when we were not together but quickly we reached out to each other, found calm and progressed forward,” he said.
Manchester City have maintained their innocence and appealed the verdict. Dias acknowledged that the players could not completely escape public scrutiny but insisted that the controversy had not distracted them from their responsibilities.
“There’s a lot of noise and it’s almost impossible to avoid seeing something even us being as private as we can be. On your phone, it’s impossible to avoid everything,” he said.
“We’re very good at focusing on our job and being happy every time we come to work. Our minds are there and only there. It’s the things we can control and the things we’ve always been doing and enjoying so much.”
The Portugal international also reaffirmed the squad’s confidence in the club, adding: “We have full confidence in the club and trust the club.”
Dias rejected suggestions that players were being instructed on how to respond to the controversy, saying their priority remained playing football and winning matches. He also defended the celebrations that followed City’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, describing the result as the main reason for the players’ excitement.
“It’s a win at Anfield. In whatever circumstance, be it early in the season or late in the season, we will enjoy it just as much and celebrate however we feel in the moment,” he said.
City manager Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, said the fallout from the verdict had been harder on supporters than on the players and coaching staff, particularly because rival fans could use the allegations to taunt them.
Maresca also praised Dias’s leadership, saying the defender had played a key role since he joined the club in the summer. The City captain’s comments came as the team prepared for its Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain.
