Guardiola pledges support to Manchester City after financial breaches verdict

Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his support for Manchester City after the club was found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

The verdict, announced on Tuesday, has cast uncertainty over the future of the Abu Dhabi-backed club, which denies any wrongdoing and has until Friday to appeal.

Guardiola, who left the Etihad in May after a decade in charge, posted his message on X on Wednesday. The Spaniard won six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at Manchester City.

“I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here, more than ever,” Guardiola wrote.

“I am, always have been, always will be, behind my club, my owner, my chairman, (CEO) Ferran (Soriano), the players, staff, (manager) Enzo (Maresca) and you, our unique supporters.

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

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters described the disciplinary case and the independent commission’s decision as the “most significant in Premier League history”.

He said Manchester City had “systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade” and that the league remained committed to reaching a swift resolution.

Under Premier League rules, the club could face a substantial points deduction, a fine or expulsion from the top division. The 10-time English champions have denied the allegations throughout the case and have promised to appeal.

The Premier League first charged City in 2023. The commission found that the club had arranged “sham” deals between 2009 and 2018 to inflate revenue artificially and reduce costs by more than £900 million.

That period included three Premier League title victories and other trophies. The commission said Manchester City had been “significantly in breach of both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits”.

City were found guilty of every charge relating to financial rule breaches during the nine-year period. They were also found guilty of most charges connected to their alleged failure to co-operate with the investigation.

Everton and Nottingham Forest received points deductions during the 2023/24 season for single breaches of financial sustainability rules. Given the scale of the case against City, they could face relegation, while there has also been speculation that previous titles might be removed.

“If the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the league, they have to suffer. And I say that as a supporter and a fan,” said former chairman David Bernstein.

Former Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow told the BBC that clubs would be “queueing up to seek compensation”.

Former City defender Micah Richards, who helped the club win their first top-flight title for 44 years in 2012, described the situation as “heartbreaking”.

“The reports were troubling. I saw the words which were used by the Premier League in sham contracts and I felt absolutely devastated,” Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast.

Manchester City next play Liverpool at Anfield on October 11. Liverpool have been the club’s closest challengers over the past decade.