Norway Star Erling Haaland Unfazed By Manchester City Financial Guilty Verdict, Teammate Says

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland remains completely unaffected by his club being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, according to his international teammate Kristoffer Ajer. An independent panel released a verdict on Tuesday stating that City arranged sham contracts with commercial partners to artificially inflate earnings, filed misstated accounts, and significantly breached spending limits. Haaland is set to play on Thursday for the first time since the verdict was announced, as Norway takes on Wales in a Nations League fixture at Cardiff City Stadium. Wales head coach Craig Bellamy stated that Haaland will not be affected by the club situation, adding that the forward "just wants to score, that ain't stopping," and even compared his aura to New Zealand rugby great Jonah Lomu. Haaland enters the match seeking to add to his international record of 65 goals in 57 games, which includes 22 goals that make him the all-time top scorer in the Nations League. Speaking about Haaland's demeanor in the national camp, Brentford center back Ajer said the striker brings a lot of energy and joy to the group and has not changed a bit despite being the biggest star in the world. Ajer noted that Haaland has been exactly the same over the past few days, which came as no surprise to him. The defender admitted that the squad has read very little into the situation, explaining that they are just footballers who do not know all the ins and outs discussed in the media.

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Manchester City continues to deny the financial charges and has announced plans to appeal the verdict. An independent commission will decide potential sanctions in a separate upcoming hearing.