Former Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola consistently backed the club during the Premier League’s lengthy investigation into alleged financial-rule breaches, maintaining that he trusted its leadership and would accept whatever decision emerged from the legal process.
The Premier League charged Manchester City with 115 alleged breaches in February 2023 following a years-long investigation into the club’s finances.
Guardiola had been defending City long before the formal charges were announced. In May 2019, after City completed a domestic treble, he rejected suggestions that he had received payments from the club outside official channels.
“We are not guilty until it’s proven,” Guardiola said at the time, adding that he trusted explanations from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano.
When UEFA imposed a two-season Champions League ban and a €30m fine on City in February 2020, Guardiola again expressed his support for the club and its planned appeal.
“I trust 100% what my club have said and what they have done,” he said, while also insisting that he would remain at City unless the club decided to dismiss him.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport later overturned UEFA’s ban in July 2020. Guardiola subsequently argued that the allegations had damaged City’s reputation, saying the club had been treated as guilty before the appeal process was completed.
In May 2022, amid renewed reports about the Premier League investigation, Guardiola said his continued defence of City reflected his genuine belief in the people he worked with.
“If you lie to me, the day after I will not be here,” he said, stressing that he had made his position clear to the club’s leadership.
After the Premier League announced the 115 charges in February 2023, Guardiola maintained that City should be presumed innocent until proven guilty and called for the case to be resolved.
He also said he would accept the outcome if an independent process eventually found the club guilty, while questioning whether City would receive adequate compensation if it were cleared after suffering reputational damage.
By May 2023, Guardiola was openly urging the Premier League and the judges to conclude the proceedings as quickly as possible, saying the club wanted the matter settled without further delay.
When asked in November 2023 whether a guilty verdict and possible relegation would affect his future, Guardiola said he would wait for the judgment before responding. He added that his commitment would not depend on whether City remained in the Premier League or dropped into a lower division.
As the hearing approached in 2024, Guardiola welcomed the prospect of the case finally being resolved, saying a decision would benefit City, other Premier League clubs and supporters waiting for clarity.
He continued to express confidence in the independent panel and, in November 2024, reiterated that he believed the club’s leadership and its explanations.
Even after announcing his decision to leave Manchester City in May 2026, Guardiola maintained that he trusted the club’s leadership and how it had handled the situation.
Across the years, his public position remained consistent: he trusted City’s officials, maintained that the club should be presumed innocent until guilt was established and said he would respect the final decision of the independent process.
Leave a comment