Alf-Inge Haaland: Erling is focused on football as City appeals 114-of-115 ruling
Erling is focused on playing while his father urges patience as Manchester City appeals a verdict that found the club guilty on most charges.
Alf-Inge Haaland, father of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, spoke on November 3, 2026 about his son's future amid the threat that the club could face relegation after being found guilty on charges related to Premier League financial rules.
Legal verdict and the player's position
An independent panel found Manchester City guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to financial irregularities between 2009 and 2018. The club denies wrongdoing and has lodged an appeal; relegation is considered one of the potential sanctions under Premier League rules.
Commenting on Viaplay, Alf-Inge said: "Erling is thinking about playing as much football as possible and is focused on that. I think that we, the people off the pitch, are thinking more about it."
He added that the case has been talked about for a long time and that the appeal means people should wait for the process to run its course: "This has been talked about for a long time, hasn't it? At last there is something concrete that City as a club can fight against. Obviously the allegations are serious, but there is an appeal underway, so I think we must remain humble and wait and see what happens."
Alf-Inge also criticised media coverage and stressed the limits on the club's ability to respond while the appeal continues: "We don't know anything more than what appears in the media. There are a huge number of articles and I would say that the information is quite one-sided. It's difficult for Manchester City to go public and defend itself while the appeal procedure is ongoing."
On the potential injustice of punishing current players for alleged offences from earlier years, he said: "We hope the club will get a fair hearing, and then we'll see whether they can prove their innocence. The players have dealt with the whole situation and all the accusations very well." Alf-Inge stopped short of giving a definitive answer on whether Erling would remain at City if relegation were imposed, and did not confirm the existence of any contract clause tied to such a scenario. Erling Haaland's deal runs until the summer of 2034.
Photo: press material from the event
