Pep Guardiola sends defiant message to Man City after financial breaches verdict

Pep Guardiola has publicly backed Manchester City following the verdict in the club’s long-running financial case, insisting they will ‘get through this together’.

The former City manager posted a message on social media on Wednesday after an independent commission found the Premier League club guilty of serious financial breaches.

Guardiola made clear that his departure from the Etihad Stadium this summer has not diminished his loyalty to the club or its hierarchy.

“I want every single Man City fan to know I am here – more than ever,” Guardiola wrote.

The Spaniard specifically expressed his support for owner Sheikh Mansour, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive officer Ferran Soriano, current manager Enzo Maresca and City’s players and staff.

The intervention is significant given Guardiola spent a decade at City before leaving at the end of last season, overseeing the most successful period in the club’s history.

The 55-year-old had repeatedly defended City while the Premier League investigation and subsequent disciplinary proceedings were unresolved during his tenure.

Guardiola previously said he trusted the club’s hierarchy when questioned about the allegations and even indicated that he would remain as manager if City were relegated as punishment.

He eventually departed before the verdict was delivered, with former assistant Maresca succeeding him at the Etihad Stadium.

An independent commission has now found City guilty of serious financial breaches covering a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

The findings include the period after Guardiola arrived from Bayern Munich in 2016, although the allegations concern the club’s financial conduct rather than wrongdoing by the former manager.

No sanction has been imposed, and City are adamant that the commission’s conclusions are incorrect.

Soriano has confirmed the club intend to appeal and has argued that the judgment contains what City consider significant errors of law, principle and fact.

He has also indicated that the dispute could take considerably longer to reach its conclusion.

Guardiola is no longer responsible for navigating the potential sporting consequences, but his first public comments since the verdict leave little doubt about where his allegiance lies.