Man City FFP: Pep Guardiola reacts to guilty verdict and tarnished legacy
Pep Guardiola has responded to Manchester City being found guilty of breaching FFP 114 times in the manner you’d probably expect.
Man City have been proven to have breached Financial Fair Play on 114 separate occasions between 2009-18. In effect, the club will forever be known as the biggest cheaters in English football history.
The club continue to blindly maintain their innocence, claiming they possess ‘irrefutable evidence’ of their innocence and a conspiracy. As yet, they’re yet to display any of their so-called evidence.
Man City fully intend to appeal and through their high-powered lawyers, will make life as difficult for the Premier League as possible. A High Court battle is now anticipated.
The bulk of their fanbase and even those more directly connected to the club, like former players including Joe Hart, have thus far resisted the opportunity to condemn the club.
Instead, many remain in denial, and as such, it should come as little surprise to see former City boss, Pep Guardiola, release the statement he just has.
Pep Guardiola reacts to Man City FFP verdict
Taking to X, Guardiola insisted he’s backing the club and those in charge who committed these breaches.
“I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever,” he wrote.
“I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters.
“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
Guardiola won just one of his six Premier League titles during the period in which City have been proven to have broken the rules.
However, the subsequent five titles all came via the great benefit of having a squad artificially improved by manufactured accounting.
The punishment City will receive is still to be determined, though there’s a growing sense expulsion from the Premier League, or a gigantic points deduction that effectively relegates them, is in play.
Regarding the stripping of titles, many sources within the media are suggesting this is NOT a likely outcome.
As such, Guardiola may yet cling on to his six Premier League titles, though they’ll now have an asterisk attached.
