Alfie Haaland has broken his silence on the verdict surrounding Manchester City's Premier League financial charges, insisting that his son Erling remains unfazed by the controversy and is fully focused on his football

Erling Haaland's father, Alfie, has insisted that his son remains fully focused on delivering success for Manchester City despite the ongoing fallout from the club's 114 financial charges. The football world was stunned last month when an independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 financial charges brought against them, covering nine seasons between 2009/10 and 2017/18.

The commission concluded that City had artificially inflated their revenue by £900million during that period, with funds allegedly channelled through sham sponsorship agreements to conceal their true origins. The tribunal ruled that the club had committed widespread financial breaches in an attempt to circumvent Premier League financial regulations.

City have since lodged a formal appeal against the findings, with the case representing one of the most significant financial controversies in English football history.

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Speculation has been mounting over the potential punishments City could face, with sanctions reportedly ranging from a substantial financial penalty and a hefty points deduction to the possibility of being stripped of their Premier League titles.

However, Alfie has insisted that his son remains fully focused on his performances on the pitch rather than allowing the uncertainty surrounding the club's off-field troubles to become a distraction.

"Erling thinks about playing as much football as he can and concentrates on that. I think it’s more those of us outside the pitch who think a bit more about it," Alfie told ViaPlay.

"Well, it has been circulating for quite a while, hasn’t it? So finally something came that was concrete, which it is possible to fight against for City as a club.

"Obviously, these are serious allegations, but now there is an appeal case pending to be heard, so I think we have to stay calm, keep our cool, and wait to see how it turns out."

However, Alfie believes it would be unfair for City's current squad, including his son, to face punishment for alleged wrongdoing that predates their time at the club. The former Leeds United star admitted: "Yes, in a way, one might feel that having to potentially take punishment for something done many years ago… yes, I would say so."

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When quizzed if he knew any more about the case, Alfie explained: "Nothing more than what’s in the media. And there is an awful lot written there, and very one-sided, I would say, right? Because it's hard for Manchester City to come out right now – with an ongoing appeal – and defend themselves.

"So we hope they get a fair hearing, and then we’ll see if they manage to prove that they are innocent, eventually. Now we just have to wait and see. I think they’ve done more than well to stand tall through this, because of course they have faced plenty of accusations. So I feel the player group has handled it very well.

"We also have to remember that these are things that allegedly happened quite a few years ago. The players today had nothing to do with it. So they’ve played well. They lost their last match, so it’s time to get back to winning ways."

Erling's sensational form suggests he has been largely unaffected by the controversy surrounding City, with the Norwegian striker netting nine goals in as many Premier League appearances this season. His remarkable goalscoring record extends to all competitions, where he has already found the back of the net 13 times in just 12 outings.

However, Haaland was unable to add to his impressive goalscoring tally as City suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton on Saturday. The result has handed Arsenal the chance to leapfrog the Cityzens and move three points clear of their title rivals, provided they secure victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.