Harry Kane and Thomas Tuchel address Man City verdict

Following England's 2-0 Nations League victory over Czechia, the focus shifted to the bombshell news that Manchester City were found guilty of financial rule breaches. An independent commission ruled that the club used 'sham' agreements between 2009 and 2018 to boost revenue and lower costs.

England captain Harry Kane admitted he was unaware of the ruling until after the match. "To be honest, today I didn’t even know the news literally until after the game," he stated. "I’ve been off my phone all day. I can’t comment on it now. I’m sure in the next days it will be spoken about in a casual way. I always say when we’re here we’re with England."

Job done, it was a professional performance. We have our England head on and those guys will deal with it obviously when they are back. From our point of view it is all about Croatia on Saturday. Harry Kane

Manager Thomas Tuchel also chose to distance his squad from the club-level fallout. He praised the performances of Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson, who both started the game despite the ongoing investigation. "I did not talk to them about the issue and I will not comment on it," Tuchel said. "I think Marc today was absolutely excellent after a tough match against Spain."

Manchester City maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal the ruling ahead of an October 2 deadline. For now, the England camp is focused solely on their upcoming Nations League clash against Croatia as they look to build momentum.