Viktor Gyökeres couldn’t help but smile after Sweden head coach Graham Potter jokingly compared the wave of withdrawals in his team to Manchester City’s 115 charges.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s Nations League clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Potter spoke about the number of players he had lost due to sickness and injuries.
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“In terms of how many withdrawals, I think we’ve had a similar number to Man City’s charges, I think,” Potter said.
Gyökeres, fully aware of the joke, smiled. Just days after Alexander Isak withdrew from the squad with a “minor injury” after the game against Romania, Sweden were handed another blow as five players had to sit out the clash with Bosnia after a wave of illness swept through the camp.
The absences of key players proved costly for Sweden as their perfect start to the 2026-27 Nations League came to an end following a 1-1 draw in Zenica.
Gyökeres gave his side the lead after 61 minutes, but Kerim Alajbegović’s 80th-minute equaliser forced a share of the spoils.
Back to Potter’s hilarious post-match remarks, a Premier League statement on Tuesday announced that an Independent Commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the league’s financial rules over a nine-season period.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have repeatedly claimed innocence. One of the offences the club was accused of was arranging ‘sham’ contracts with a number of its sponsors to artificially inflate its revenue and reduce its costs.
Sanctions are said to range from fines to points deductions and even expulsion from the Premier League.
Manchester City appeal Premier League guilty verdict
On Friday, Manchester City confirmed it had submitted an appeal against the Independent Commission’s ruling that found the club guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
In a statement on its official website, City claimed the verdict contained “clear material errors”. The club also said it possesses “irrefutable evidence” in support of its position.
“Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter,” it read.
“The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe. The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.
“We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.”
Edited by Ezekiel Olamide