Pep Guardiola has broken his silence following the landmark verdict that has sent shockwaves through English football, publicly reaffirming his unwavering support for Manchester City and everyone connected with the club.
The independent commission’s ruling, which upheld 114 of the 115 charges brought against City, has placed the club under intense scrutiny. Guardiola, however, has made it clear that his loyalty to Manchester City remains unchanged.
The Catalan manager took to X to deliver a strongly worded message to City supporters. Alongside photographs of himself with members of the club’s senior executive team, Guardiola underlined a sense of unity as the club prepares for what could be a lengthy legal battle.
Addressing the Manchester City fanbase directly, Guardiola wrote:
"I want every single @ManCity fan 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."
Guardiola’s message comes at a particularly significant moment for Manchester City, with the commission’s findings covering alleged breaches committed between 2009 and 2018.
According to the commission’s report, Manchester City had "arranged 'sham' contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on 'sham' agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs."
The report also stated that the club had filed accounts that did not accurately reflect its financial position and had concealed the true state of its finances from auditors and football regulators.
The commission further found that City had committed multiple breaches of its obligations to cooperate with the Premier League and to act in good faith, with three of the four alleged breaches being upheld.
Despite the findings, Manchester City have continued to deny wrongdoing and have maintained their opposition to the allegations throughout the process. The club is expected to challenge the commission’s verdict through the available appeals process, arguing that the findings do not accurately reflect the way its business operations were conducted.
For Guardiola, however, the immediate message is one of solidarity. His public statement makes clear that, regardless of the legal and sporting consequences that may follow, he intends to stand alongside Manchester City, its leadership, players, staff and supporters as the dispute moves into its next stage.