Pep Guardiola says he is behind my owner and my chairman after Manchester City found guilty of financial doping

Pep Guardiola has launched an extraordinary defence of Manchester City, insisting he is “more than ever†behind the club's owners after they were found to have broken multiple financial rules.

On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed City had been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of financial regulations between 2009/10 and 2017/18, and the majority of charges relating to a failure to co-operate with the investigation.

A damning statement that concluded the probe by an independent commission highlighted a series of “sham contracts†set up by the club to artificially inflate revenue and reduce costs via a ‘disguised funding scheme' to the scale of over £900million.

That enabled City to circumnavigate PSR rules and spend lavishly in the transfer market with Guardiola able to bolster his squad with the likes of John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane.

Those players went on to win multiple trophies at the Etihad with Guardiola eventually standing down at the end of last season having claimed six Premier League crowns, three FA Cup trophies and the 2023 Champions League title.

City have repeatedly protested their innocence and intend to appeal with Guardiola regularly speaking up in defence of the club's owners, the City Football Group Limited spearheaded by Abu Dhabi royal family member Sheikh Mansour and run by Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Ferran Soriano, during his time in Manchester.

Guardiola remained staunch in his defence of the club on Wednesday with a post on Instagram that read: “I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters.

“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. 

“I love you all.†🩵

City maintain their innocence

City were quick to respond with a statement of their own on Tuesday afternoon after the Premier League dropped their bombshell, claiming they have a “body of irrefutable evidence†that would lead to all charges being dropped.

There had been speculation Guardiola, who is currently keeping a low profile after a relentless period at City, would speak out against the owners but he has opted to offer them his unflinching support.

The main question now is what happens if City's appeal is thrown out. Relegation, a transfer ban, a hefty points deduction and a fine have all been mentioned as potential punishments.

Whatever happens, the case has cast a dark cloud over the Premier League ever since the initial charges were announced in February 2023.

Enzo Maresca replaced Guardiola at the helm and he now has the tricky task of trying to focus the minds of the players, who are facing an uncertain future, when they return from international duty. City's next Premier League game is at Liverpool a week on Sunday and former Reds defender and current Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher is predicting a hostile atmosphere at Anfield.

“Liverpool are probably the biggest losers in all this,†said Carragher with Liverpool finishing as runners-up to City numerous times over the affected period. 

“The atmosphere will be electric. In the last five years, Liverpool v City has been ‘the' game of the Premier League.â€