Man City fans headed to the Etihad for the team's first home league game since being found guilty of 114 alleged breaches

It's been a busy few weeks for Manchester City. But at first look, you wouldn't know it.

Last month, Manchester City was found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them for alleged breaches of financial rules. The club will now appeal this verdict, with the next stage of the process still to come.

According to reports, the club is prepared to prolong the appeal against the Premier League’s verdict for as long as possible. And while new league rules stipulate that appeal hearings must be concluded within 12 weeks, City’s legal team could challenge this time limit - as they were first charged in 2023, before the regulations came into force.

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That drama, you'd imagine, has no prospect of disappearing any time soon. Yet its only manifestation outside the Etihad Stadium this afternoon (October 17) was in a sense of defiance.

Fans in east Manchester were heading to the first home league game since the club guilty of breaches against the Premier League. And for many it was business as usual.

While City supporters still have to wait for the appeal verdict, the message here was simple - they'll remain loyal to team no matter what.

One City fan, and season ticket holder, John Birchengoh said he would continue to support the team regardless of the final decision, adding he was excited to be back at the Etihad. He said: "We'll still support them even when we're in division two or they're playing Ramsbottom United or Ashton FC."

On the appeal process, a second City supporter, Simon, said: "I think that City will get away with it [or] most of it. As one of the largest brands in the world over the last 10 years, they employ the best of the best.

"They've denied it because they've got evidence. Whereas everybody else, who's been found guilty has admitted it. I think City have stretched the laws, not necessarily broken them."

Simon added that he agreed with Man City's reported decision to prolong the appeal process. He said: "You've got one team against 19 and you've got a committee of exec from other clubs - it's not necessarily completely neutral is it?"

However the process has raised worries for some fans. One Manchester City supporter, Colin, 56, said: "I think it is super concerning in terms of where we are. The chance of winning the appeal doesn't sound great.

"Obviously there's all sorts of pundits asking for kind of firing squads and whatever you can in terms of the harshest punishments known in history. My thing on this is if we think the rules are unfair I would have rather them challenged them in the first place rather than allegedly break them and then try to get out of them."

Asked whether it was the right decision for City to prolong the appeal process as reported, Colin said: "I think they should use whatever rules are available to them. I don't know what the rules are in the appeals [but] if they think they need more to get whatever they need and the real support then good luck to them."

Another fan, Steve, explained he continues to support the team however, admitted he was still concerned over the outcome of the appeal. He said: "I would like to believe we can support our chairman. Let's face it, these rules were settled by teams who didn't want us to succeed.

"They have since appointed the people who were on the committee. Do I think it was a fair hearing? No because apparently we weren't even allowed to present our evidence.

He added: "As to how I'm feeling - still worried."

As the Manchester Evening News spoke to fans outside the Etihad on Saturday, many also said they had 'no comment' on the allegations put against Manchester City, as a verdict on the club's appeal is still to be decided.

The masses however appeared to be showing their avid support for the team, with many seen carrying inflatable bananas into the stadium - which are understood to show support for the club particularly during periods of adversity.