Pep Guardiola has broken his silence after Manchester City were found guilty of nearly all of the 115 charges against them, reiterating his backing of the owners and the board.
An independent commission, which was appointed following a four-year investigation to rule over the charges which stretch between 2009 and 2018, ruled that the current Premier League leaders had “sham contracts” arranged for a number of its commercial partners, finding that their income over eight seasons was “hugely overstated by over £830m”.
The club vehemently deny the breaches with chief executive Ferran Soriano branding the process a “Premier League conspiracy theory” in a message to players and staff, while City have confirmed they will appeal against the ruling. They have until Friday 2 October to do so.
Guardiola has now responded to the verdict by stating that he is and “always will” be behind the club.
“I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters.
“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
City’s sanction has not yet been revealed, though there is an expectation that the club could be relegated or have their titles stripped, meaning some of Guardiola’s accolades at the Etihad Stadium could be wiped from history.
Two trophies of Guardiola’s glory-laden stint at City came during the eight-season period under scrutiny, with the Catalan lifting the Premier League title as well as the League Cup in 2017/18. That was the first of six top-flight titles Guardiola would win before his exit at the end of last season.
City have responded to the verdict by doubling down on their innocence, saying they were “both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission” in a statement.
The club says they have “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” that supports their position and will be “relentless” in their appeal.
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