by Pep Guardiola has claimed that everyone outside Manchester City wants to punish the club for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
News last week that Everton have been docked 10 points for breaking profit and sustainability rules put the spotlight back on City, who were accused of 115 breaches of Premier League rules in February, but deny any wrongdoing.
Everton responded to the biggest sporting sanction in the history of the competition by saying they would “closely monitor the decisions made in any other situation” and Guardiola said he can “feel” the wider desire to punish City.
When asked if a potential sanction was big enough to factor into his future at the club, the City manager said: “It’s a good question. I will answer when I have the sentence – [when] I have the sentence. You are questioning as if we were punished.
“And right now we’re innocent until proven guilty. I know the people want it [City punished]. I know, I feel it. I will wait – wait to see and after the sentencing we will come here and explain.”
An independent disciplinary committee has the power to administer a range of penalties if City are found guilty of breaking the rules, including points deductions, fines and the ultimate sanction of expulsion from the League.
But a defiant Guardiola, speaking for the first time since Everton’s birth, suggested he was far more likely to stay at City if the club were relegated from the Premier League.
‘I’m more likely to stay if we’re in League One’
“I will definitely not judge my future [if] it depends on being here or being in League One,” said Guardiola, whose current contract with City runs until June 2025.
“There’s a greater chance of staying if we’re in League One than if we were in the Champions League.”
Guardiola claimed that some had already made up their minds that City were guilty but stressed that City’s situation was “completely different” to Everton’s.
City are alleged to have breached a series of financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and are also accused of failing to co-operate with a Premier League investigation which first began in December 2018. Everton, who were charged seven weeks after City, were found to have breached PSR . £19.5 million over three years ending 2021-22.
But Guardiola urged City’s critics to wait for a final verdict before rushing to judgment on the Premier League and European champions.
“When you read [what is said] then we should be relegated, relegated, relegated, yeah, of course, “said Guardiola, whose side faces Liverpool in the top of the table game at the Etihad Stadium at lunchtime on Saturday.
“But nobody knows exactly. All the people who say they didn’t read the statements, they don’t know exactly what happened. Not even myself, I didn’t read all the violations, I didn’t read our defense.
“What I said a month ago, ‘OK, if we have done something wrong we will be punished’. But wait – we can protect ourselves can’t we? What people accuse us of, we don’t agree with what they say.
“We are going to protect [ourselves] and having made the intention, I will be here [to speak]as a spokesperson for my club.”
‘People are saying City – why don’t they go to Congress’
He added: “I want to say the Everton case, and I don’t know what happened, but I know from the lawyers and the people at my club that they are completely different cases. That’s why you can’t compare because every situation is completely different.
“The other one [City] longer because it is more complicated because it is 115 violations. So wait. Then after the lawyers from both sides presented their cases before the judge and [deliver] the verdict and after that I will sit before you and you can ask me the question.”
Experts have suggested that City’s case could be resolved in two to four years. Guardiola has repeatedly been told by the City hierarchy that the club has no case to respond to and the Catalan said his opinion on the matter has not changed.
“Why shouldn’t I believe? What has changed?” he said. “I haven’t changed for a second my opinion about it – take time, wait and see what they decide and after we accept the resolution.
“I won’t say a word about Everton because I don’t know what really happened. I know when people are saying, ‘Okay, City – why don’t they go to Congress?’ Wait. And after what is going to happen it will happen.”
Guardiola said he remained firmly of the opinion that financial governance was important in football and that the rules should be followed.
“They decided to bring a regulation to make football fairer and the laws must be respected,” he said. “We’re under scrutiny and I’m a big fan of following the rules properly. If you do something wrong, you must be punished. The game needs to be regulated and Uefa and Fifa decide on FFP so I fully support that.”
Meanwhile, Guardiola joked that he hoped City would not be blamed for the Liverpool game which kicked off at 12.30pm. Kick-off was brought forward from 5.30pm last month due to safety concerns, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp fuming that his team will have to face Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off straight after the break. international.
“I always sympathize with Jurgen, what he says is right,” said Guardiola. “He is protecting his club. Don’t blame City for that either! We are not involved! The kick-off [time] it’s not our fault!”
Guardiola hopes that Erling Haaland will be fit for the game. The Norwegian striker trained on Thursday with “some niggles” but is expected to be available.
