“Hopefully” – Pep Guardiola provides bold assessment of Manchester City’s 115 charges trial date | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed his own view on the club’s imminent proceedings around their 115 Premier League charges.

It was reported earlier this week that after over a year since the Premier League first formally issued Manchester City with their charges, proceedings in front of an independent tribunal would begin on Monday.

Quizzed upon the launch of the Premier League season at an exclusive event earlier this summer, the top-flight’s CEO Richard Masters told one broadcaster that “it is time now for the case to resolve itself”.

Manchester City have consistently maintained a stance of confidence, often referring to those requesting comment on developments to their original response to the charges being issued to Etihad Stadium bosses in February 2023.

The reigning Premier League champions said at the time that they were not only “surprised” by the charges being issued by the top-flight, and that they are also supported by a “body of irrefutable evidence”.

Now speaking during a pre-match press conference ahead of the club’s return to action on Saturday afternoon, much of the conversation put to Pep Guardiola concerned the news Manchester City’s legal battle with the Premier League beginning on Monday.

“Start soon, and hopefully finish soon,” Guardiola said in response to the date being put to him during his media address on Friday afternoon. “The independent panel will decide and looking forward to the decision.”

When asked whether he had spoken to those within the club regarding the charges and the cases itself, Guardiola said, “I’m not a lawyer. There are many lawyers in this country and in Spain, there are many lawyers. But I wait, we’re going to wait, and we’re going to see.”

But what about Manchester City’s players? Have they been spoken to about the charges? “No,” Guardiola said. “We’re not lawyers. Erling [Haaland] is not a lawyer, no. We didn’t talk about that. What’s going to happen, the independent panel, and we’re going to accept the sentence.

“I’m happy it’s starting on Monday. I know there will be more rumours, new specialists about the sentences. We’re going to see. I know what people are looking forward to, what they expect, I know, what I read for many years. Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. So we’ll see.”

Elsewhere, a verdict on Manchester City’s own case brought against the Premier League earlier this year regarding the division’s Associated Party Transaction rules is reportedly due before the end of September.

The Times newspaper have quotes sources in their latest report on the situation, who have suggested that the hearing went well for Manchester City’s legal team, with it now expected for them to score some form of victory in the case.