Financial charges that resulted in Manchester City being found guilty of extensive financial breaches have drawn public defiance from former manager Pep Guardiola. The Spanish tactician, who stepped down in May after a glittering ten-year tenure, reaffirmed his complete solidarity with the English champions on Wednesday. His public intervention followed an independent commission’s decision to uphold the Premier League’s allegations of systemic fiscal manipulation.
The ruling strikes at the foundation of City’s most decorated era.
Writing on his verified social media account, Guardiola told supporters that he remains firmly aligned with the club, its ownership, and the executive hierarchy. He pledged continued support to Chief Executive Ferran Soriano, current manager Enzo Maresca, the squad, and the fanbase, insisting that the institution would navigate the fallout together. His public remarks arrived one day after Soriano addressed club personnel via an internal broadcast to reject the commission`s conclusions.
Guardiola captured 20 major trophies during his decade-long spell in Manchester.
His tenure included six Premier League titles—highlighted by four consecutive championships—alongside three FA Cups, five League Cups, and the club’s maiden UEFA Champions League triumph. The case brought by the Premier League centred on nine seasons between 2009 and 2018, alleging the club utilized disguised commercial sponsorships to inflate revenues and conceal operating costs exceeding 900 million pounds ($1.2bn). The regulatory tribunal concluded that these practices allowed City to evade domestic and UEFA spending restrictions while securing three league titles during the evaluated timeline.
The independent panel sustained all counts concerning substantive financial breaches and the majority of allegations concerning a failure to cooperate with league investigators. Manchester City maintains that it acted lawfully throughout the period and has until Friday to register a formal appeal against the findings.
