Guardiola on Manchester City trial: “I know what they’re waiting for”
Coach says club accused of breaking Premier League financial fair play rules will accept ruling from Premier League’s independent commission
Pep Guardiola has spoken out about the start of Manchester City’s trial by the Premier League ‘s independent commission . With the club facing 115 charges of breaching the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules, the Citizens manager lamented the public’s expectations about the outcome of the case.
– I’m not a lawyer. There are several in this country and in Spain. I’ll wait and see. I’m not a lawyer, Erling (Haaland) isn’t, we haven’t talked about it (in the dressing room). We’ll see what happens in the independent commission and we’ll accept the sentence. I’m happy it starts on Monday. I know what people are waiting for, from what I’ve read for many years… so I’m sad. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty – declared the Spanish coach, in a press conference this Friday.
The Premier League’s independent commission will begin hearings next Monday. It is expected to conclude its work within ten weeks and, after potential appeals, a final decision will be announced between March and June 2025.
The alleged financial breaches are said to have occurred between 2009 and 2018. Manchester City are accused of having breached league rules requiring “best faith” when reporting information “that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”. During that period, the team won three Premier League titles, including breaking a 44-year league drought.
The Premier League announced the allegations in February 2023, with a series of rules that Manchester City had allegedly circumvented each season. The league highlighted the inaccuracy of information about the club’s revenues (including sponsorship) and operating costs.
The commission will also investigate alleged breaches in the details of payments made to City managers between 2009/10 and 2012/13, when the manager was Italian Roberto Mancini.
The league has indicated that there were possible issues with the information on player pay in contracts between 2010/11 and 2015/16. In addition, the allegation involves breaches of the Premier League’s sustainability rules and UEFA licensing regulations.
The Premier League mentions possible breaches of its rules, from December 2018 to today, regarding cooperation with the league itself for investigations.
