Arsenal star’s awkward reaction as former Chelsea boss jokes about Man City charges

Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres seemed to be struggling not to laugh as Sweden manager Graham Potter joked about Manchester City’s guilty verdict.

On Tuesday, it was confirmed that an independent commission had found City guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.

Between 2009 and 2018, during which Man City won three league titles, the club ‘relied on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs’.

The Citizens have always maintained their innocence and announced on Friday that they had lodged an appeal against the verdict.

Many players and managers across the football world have been reluctant to talk in depth about the saga which has rocked English football to its core, with speculation growing over what sanctions City could face.

And the topic came up in an unexpected way during a press conference ahead of Sweden’s Nations League clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday night.

Gyokeres was present alongside former Chelsea head coach Potter, who was giving an update on his squad after 11 players withdrew from international duty after falling ill.

‘We’ve been hit with an infection or a bug,’ Potter said.

‘Not ideal, but it happens. So we’ve called in some players who have been fantastic.

‘In terms of how many withdrawals, we’ve had a similar number to Man City’s charges, I think.’

Potter’s unexpected dig drew some amusement in the room before he laughingly asked: ‘Too soon?’

A clip of the press conference went viral on social media, with many noting Gyokeres’ awkward reaction that was briefly caught on camera, with the Gunners striker appearing to stifle a laugh.

After a difficult start to the season with Arsenal, Gyokeres has scored two goals in as many games for Sweden so far in the Nations League.

There has been speculation that the 28-year-old could leave north London but he insists he is ‘extremely happy’ at the Emirates.

‘It’s clear that I want to play football as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player.

‘Of course, you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start.’

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