Pep Guardiola breaks silence after Man City verdict with clear message | OneFootball

Ex-City boss has spoken publicly for the first time since former club found guilty of 114 Premier League charges

Pep Guardiola has released a defiant message in response to Manchester City being found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Premier League said City arranged "sham contracts" to artificially inflate revenue as part of a "disguised funding scheme" to the scale of £830.69million.

An independent commission found City guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.

A number of club witnesses were said to have provided false and dishonest evidence, while City were also found guilty of all charges except one relating to non-cooperation with the Premier League investigation.

City continue to deny any wrongdoing and have until Friday to appeal the commission's findings.

Guardiola stood down as City manager in the summer after a trophy-laden decade in charge at the Etihad Stadium. His reign overlapped with the period in which City were found to have seriously breached financial regulations.

However, there is no suggestion that Guardiola was aware of any wrongdoing during his time at the club.

Message of support: Pep Guardiola says Man City will get through this period “together”

PA

The Spaniard took to social media on Wednesday to address the situation and offered a message of support to all those involved with the club.

Guardiola wrote: "I want every single Man City fan to know I am here; more than ever.

"I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman [Khaldoon Al Mubarak], Ferran [Soriano, CEO], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca, manager] and you, our unique supporters.

"Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."

He accompanied that message with pictures of him alongside the City hierarchy, including two with chairman Al Mubarak.

Guardiola strongly defended City whenever he was asked about the 115 charges hanging over the club during his time in charge.

In 2022, he said he would walk away if he ever found the club's executives had lied to him about the situation.

“Why did I defend the club and the people? It’s because I work with them,” Guardiola said.

“When they are accused of something I ask them: ‘Tell me about that.’ They explain and I believe them.

"I said to them: ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and I will not be your friend anymore. I put my faith in you because I believe you 100 per cent from day one and I defend the club because of that.'"