Maresca: If I were a United or Arsenal fan, I'd say City cheat

📰 Manchester City's own head coach said rival fans would call the club cheats, and the remark has gone viral. 📌 Key points 🎙️ Maresca raised rival fans' view of City in his pre-PSG press conference. 🗣️ He said an Arsenal or United fan could say: "My friend, you cheat." 💙 He said the fans have had it tougher than the players since the verdict. 🎉 He defended the Anfield celebrations: "What do you want us to do?" ⚖️ City are appealing the verdict and deny wrongdoing. 📝 What happened 🎙️ Maresca spoke on 13 October ahead of City's Champions League league-phase game against Paris Saint-Germain. Asked about supporters after the guilty verdict on Premier League financial rules, he said that if he were an Arsenal or United fan and you were a City fan, he could tell you: "Hey, my friend, you cheat." 💙 "It's probably been more tough for the fans than for the players or me because it's more complicated," he added, meaning it is supporters who face rival fans' taunts day to day. 🎉 City's celebrations after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on 11 October drew some criticism. "We won 3-0 at Anfield, what do you want us to do? Even if it was 1-0, it would be exactly the same," Maresca said, adding that he does not stress about things he cannot control. 🛡️ Captain Rúben Dias said: "When you build yourself as a player, you build yourself against any noise." 📊 By the numbers • At Anfield: won 3-0 • UCL matchday one: won 2-0 at Porto • PSG kick-off: 8pm (UK), 14 October 🔭 Why it matters It is unusual for City's head coach to voice rivals' "cheat" jibe himself since the verdict. He meant it as support for the fans, but rival supporters are likely to enjoy it. City host PSG at the Etihad on 14 October.