Guardiola Backs Manchester City After Guilty Verdict on Finances

Manchester City said on 30 September it would appeal after an independent commission found the club guilty of more than 100 charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules, a verdict that prompted former manager Pep Guardiola to issue his first public statement in support of the club.¹⁵⁶

The verdict

The independent commission found Manchester City guilty of more than 100 charges tied to breaches of financial rules, with the infringements covering a nine-season period from 2009/10 to 2017/18, according to NBC News.⁶

The commission found that City arranged sham commercial deals with sponsors to inflate revenue and reduce costs, and operated a disguised funding scheme in which Abu Dhabi companies paid only a fraction of the sum recorded in City's accounts. NBC News reported that the arrangement pushed revenue up by over £830m across the period, with City allegedly overstating image-rights earnings by nearly £74m while underreporting staff-contract obligations by close to £17m. InsiderSport reported that the sham deals, funded by Abu Dhabi United Group, ran between 2009/10 and 2017/18.⁶⁷

According to Al Jazeera, City relied on fraudulent commercial agreements to boost income and minimize expenses, masking its real financial position so it could stay under Premier League and UEFA spending caps during the 2009-18 period, a stretch in which the club claimed three league titles.¹

France 24 characterized the case—which additionally involves accusations that City failed to fully cooperate with investigators—as unparalleled in its magnitude, citing commentator Andreas Evargora's remark: "This is nothing of the scale that we've seen before." Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, per NBC News, labeled it the league's biggest case to date.³⁶

Guardiola's response

Guardiola, who left Manchester City in summer 2026 after a decade in charge and was succeeded by Enzo Maresca, spoke publicly about the scandal for the first time, according to The Guardian, in a statement reported by NBC New York as his first comment since the commission's findings were published.⁴⁸

Guardiola said he wanted every Manchester City supporter to know that his commitment to them was stronger than ever. He added that he had always stood, and would continue to stand, by the club, Guardiola said. He stressed that the club would overcome the situation together. I love you all."¹

Manchester City itself rejected the findings, stating: "The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists." The club added it would be "relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums."⁶

Appeal and possible sanctions

Sky Sports reported that Manchester City will lodge an appeal ahead of Friday's cutoff while maintaining it has done nothing wrong, quoting the club's statement that it "continue[s] to deny any wrongdoing." Under the revised regulations, the appeal must be resolved in five days or fewer and the entire disciplinary process wrapped up within 12 weeks, though a legal expert told the outlet City has solid grounds to argue these new rules shouldn't apply in its case.²

Al Jazeera reported that possible sanctions range from a points deduction, fine or expulsion to relegation or the stripping of titles won during the period covered by the charges. Former City chairman David Bernstein said: "If the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the league, they have to suffer."¹

Compensation claims

Sky Sports reported that Premier League players and agents have begun contacting lawyers to explore compensation claims for missed bonuses tied to title or European qualification, and that several clubs have instructed lawyers to assess potential litigation against City. Former Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow said "clubs would be queueing up to seek compensation," a cost Al Jazeera said could run into hundreds of millions of pounds for the club. Sky Sports noted that the club's top legal representative, Lord Pannick KC, bills at a rate of £5,000 per hour.²¹

A precedent cited

France 24 pointed to the French club Bordeaux as an example of the scale of disruption financial problems can cause: Bordeaux, champions of France in 2009 under M6 ownership, later fell from the top tier to the sixth tier of French football after facing a shortfall of around €9 million.³