Guardiola Stands by Manchester City After Guilty Verdict

Pep Guardiola, the former manager of Manchester City, reaffirmed his support for the club after an independent commission ruled that Manchester City was guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The commission found the club guilty on all charges related to financial breaches and all but one charge regarding its failure to cooperate with the investigation.

The commission revealed that City had arranged “sham contracts” with commercial partners to conceal over £830 million in secret funding. Guardiola, who left the club in the summer of 2023 after nearly a decade, expressed his solidarity with Manchester City in an Instagram post, stating he would always support the club, its owner, chairman, players, and fans.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak expressed confidence in proving the club's innocence, while chief executive Ferran Soriano claimed that “irrefutable evidence” was overlooked by the commission. The club has until October 2 to appeal the verdict.