Guardiola’s Record on Man City Financial Charges: From Defiance to Promise of Verdict Response

Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a series of defiant and supportive statements concerning the club’s recent guilty verdicts for deliberate financial rule-breaking over a nine-year period. Although Guardiola departed the managerial role this summer, he posted messages of solidarity on social media, telling supporters, “Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.” He remains employed by City Football Group as a global ambassador and is expected to attend the upcoming Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain, the club’s first home game since the verdicts were announced.

BBC Sport has compiled a timeline of Guardiola’s most significant comments during his decade-long tenure, which began in 2016, covering the 2009-18 period relevant to the charges.

In May 2019, immediately following an FA Cup final victory over Watford, Guardiola reacted with anger to questions about alleged undeclared payments. When asked by Sky News if he had received money outside his contract, he demanded to know if journalists believed he deserved such accusations on a day the club won a treble. He reaffirmed his trust in the club’s chairman and CEO, stating, “I listen to my chairman and my CEO, and I trust them. They tell me we are fair and we absolutely follow the rules. I believe them.” Former manager Roberto Mancini later dismissed the allegations as not concerning him.

By February 2020, after UEFA found City guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules and imposed a two-year European ban, Guardiola was unequivocal. “We appeal. When someone believes they are right, they have to fight,” he said, adding that he trusted the club’s explanation 100%. This stance was reinforced in July 2020 when the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the suspension, clearing the club of the most serious charges. Guardiola argued that the presumption of innocence had been absent, noting that many assumed the club was guilty and had lied.

As tensions rose leading up to the Premier League’s independent commission proceedings, Guardiola consistently defended his relationship with the hierarchy. In May 2022, he stated, “I said to them: ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here.’ I put my faith in you because I believe you 100% from day one.” However, he also warned that he would resign if the club were found guilty.

When the Premier League announced 115 charges against City in February 2023, Guardiola described the situation as premature condemnation. “My first thought is that we are already being condemned. I am fully convinced we will be innocent,” he said. He criticized the media and public for predetermining guilt without a fair hearing. Frustration with the duration of the legal process became evident by May 2023, when he remarked, “We would love [the verdict] tomorrow – this afternoon better than tomorrow.”

In November 2023, Guardiola pledged to remain at the club even if they were relegated to League One, stating, “There is more chance [for me] to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League.” He also promised to hold a press conference once the verdict was delivered. This promise was reiterated in September 2024, as the hearing began, where he accused the football world of wanting City to “disappear off the face of the earth.”

Before his departure in May 2026, Guardiola reaffirmed his belief in the club’s innocence. “I trust them. I spoke with them and trust how they behave and how they did,” he said. He humorously added that if journalists wanted to question him further, “that will be difficult,” while confirming he would still provide a media update once the sentence was passed.

Manchester City is currently appealing the guilty verdicts. Guardiola won 20 trophies in 10 seasons as manager, including the 2023 Champions League title.