Pep Guardiola has hit back at some of Manchester City’s Premier League rivals, claiming that they want to see his side punished for alleged financial wrongdoing. It comes with the champions set to begin their trial against the league on Monday.
City were charged with 115 counts of breaching financial rules over a 10-year period over 18 months ago, following an investigation into their accounts. However, despite independent commissions being referred for Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester over separate and different Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSRs), City have not even started theirs.
In the meantime, City have been the subject of major scrutiny from fans and the media, with many awaiting an outcome to this unprecedented hearing. It is thought that the Premier League has the power to not only dock points and hand out massive fines, but also relegate and strip titles.
It has been suggested by La Liga president Javier Tebas that in the minds of many of City’s rivals, which would include Arsenal as the closest challengers in the past two years, the decision has already been made in their head. “I have spoken with many Premier League clubs and most of them understand that City should be sanctioned,” he said earlier this week.
Tebas added that “they [Manchester City’ were once acquitted by the CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport] for a formal matter.” That refers to City’s previous case with UEFA.
On that occasion, the now eight-time Premier League champions saw an initial competition ban overturned due to a technicality of charge being time-barred. There are no such limits to Premier League charges though.
When put with Tebas’ view, Guardiola did not hold back. “Maybe he’s right,” the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss said on Friday. “For the fact that all the Premier League teams want us to be sanctioned, that is for sure.
“I agree with Tebas for the first time, and hopefully the last. I am pretty sure I agree with that. That’s why I say to Mr Tebas and the Premier League teams: wait for the independent panel.
“Justice is there in a modern democracy so yeah, wait for the decision, it’s not more complicated than that. But I don’t know if he is a lawyer or the rest of the Premier League teams are lawyers so what I ask for is that – wait, it happened with UEFA. We believe that we have not done anything wrong so we go to an independent panel and we are going to wait.”
Guardiola has regularly been asked about the charges, the hearing, what it means for City, and possible impact of it on his club and players, but has rarely spoken so animatedly. “There are many lawyers in this country and in Spain but I wait,” he continued.
We’re going to wait and see,” he said. We are not lawyers. Erling [Haaland] is not a lawyer so we didn’t talk about it. What is going to happen is with the independent panel and we will accept the sentence.
“I’m happy it starts on Monday and I know there will be more rumours about the sentences that come up and we’re going to see. I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting – I know it because I have read it for many years – but I’ve said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven. So we will see.”
For Arsenal, they are one of many sides who could stand to benefit should City be found guilty of any of the charges due to the possible punishments. Both retrospectively and current, the Gunners would not be alone in having lost out to City’s monster team in recent years.
