Tuchel says Manchester City financial verdict is a major topic in England camp

Manchester City’s financial verdict has become a major subject of discussion within the England squad, manager Thomas Tuchel says.

City were found guilty by an independent commission of all charges relating to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over nine seasons between 2009-10 and 2017-18. They were also found guilty of three of the four charges concerning their failure to cooperate with the investigation.

The club have consistently denied wrongdoing and have appealed against the verdict.

Several City players are currently part of the England squad, including Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi. Nico O’Reilly has since left the camp after suffering an injury.

Tuchel said the case had been discussed by the players before England’s Nations League match against Croatia on Saturday.

“It is a big subject. Everyone speaks about it, so there is no other voice needed,” he said.

“I am glad to be not that voice. No one needs my half knowledge on the topic.

“Of course, the players talk about it. City players talk about it. We talk with them but only briefly. They are ready to go tomorrow. But of course, it’s a big topic in the camp.”

The England manager was also asked whether he would continue to select City players if the club were eventually relegated from the Premier League.

Tuchel said a player’s value to England would be assessed individually, rather than being determined by the status of their club’s domestic league.

“There is always a possibility,” he said.

“I would always try to pick the best team for the camp, occasion, the tournament. I will never rule out that because they don’t play in the top flight in their country.

“We need to look at it case by case.”

England are second in Group A3 with three points from their opening two matches. They began with a 3-2 defeat by Spain at Wembley before responding with a 2-0 victory against the Czech Republic in Prague.

Saturday’s fixture with Croatia will be played behind closed doors in Rijeka. The decision follows crowd disturbances during Croatia’s Nations League quarter-final against France in March 2025.

Tuchel said the three-day recovery period between matches had benefited his squad, with most of the players completing a full training session on Friday.

“It has made a huge difference for us to have three days in between so that we could take care of players with high output like Anderson and Gordon, for example,” he said.

“Everyone has been at training today except for O’Reilly, who had to leave camp to get treatment and leave as soon as possible.

“His discomfort was too painful and he couldn’t be on the pitch. Everyone else started and ended training today on a high level.”