Pep Guardiola has claimed that everyone except Manchester City wants the club to be punished for allegedly breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
Last week’s news that Everton had been awarded 10 points for breaching profit and sustainability rules put the spotlight on City, who were accused of breaching Premier League rules 115 times in February but have denied any wrongdoing.
Everton responded to the biggest sporting sanction in the tournament’s history by saying they would “watch with great interest the decisions taken on other occasions” and Guardiola said he could “feel” the wider desire for City to be punished.
Asked whether there was a potential sanction big enough to make him consider his future at the club, the City manager said: “That’s a good question. I’ll answer when I find the sentence – [when] I have a sentence. You question us as if we were punished.
“And right now we’re innocent until proven guilty. I know people want that [City punished]. I know, I feel it. “I will wait, I will wait and see, and after the punishment is over, we will come here and explain.”
An independent disciplinary committee has the power to impose penalties if City are found guilty of breaching the rules, including points deductions, large fines and the ultimate sanction: expulsion from the League.
But Guardiola, speaking for the first time since the Everton decision, said he was much more likely to stay at City if the club were kicked out of the Premier League.
‘If we are in the First League, my chances of staying will increase’
“I will definitely not think about my future [if] “It depends on being here or in League One,” said Guardiola, whose current contract at City runs until June 2025.
“We have a better chance of staying in League One than we have a chance of staying in the Champions League.”
Guardiola claimed some people had already decided City were guilty but insisted City’s case was “completely different” to Everton’s.
City are alleged to have breached a number of financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and are also accused of failing to co-operate with the Premier League investigation, which began in December 2018. Everton, who were charged seven weeks after City, were found to have breached the PSR. There was an increase of £19.5 million in the three-year period ending 2021-22.
But Guardiola urged City’s critics to wait for the final decision before making a decision on the Premier League and European champions.
“When you read [what is said] then we should be relegated, relegated, relegated, yes, of course,” said Guardiola, who faces Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium at lunchtime on Saturday.
“But no one knows exactly. All those who say they haven’t read the statements don’t know exactly what happened. Even I haven’t read all the violations, I haven’t read our defense.
“What I said a month ago was, ‘Okay, if we did something wrong, we will be punished.’ But wait; We can defend ourselves, right? With the things people accuse us of, we disagree with what they say.
“We are going to defend [ourselves] and I will be here after the solution is completed [to speak]He’s like the spokesman for my club.”
‘People say City, why don’t they go to the conference?’
He added: “I want to make the case for Everton and I don’t know what happened but only I know from the lawyers and the people at my club that these are completely different cases. “So you can’t compare because every situation is completely different.
“The other [City] longer because it’s more complex because there are 115 violations. So wait. Then the lawyers of both parties present their cases before the judge and [deliver] After you make the decision, I will sit in front of you and you can ask me the question.
Experts have suggested it could take two to four years for the City’s case to be resolved. Guardiola has been repeatedly told by City’s hierarchy that the club has no response and the Catalan says his view on the matter has not changed.
“Why shouldn’t I believe it? What changed?” said. “I haven’t changed my mind about it even for a moment; Take some time, wait and see what they decide and after we accept the decision.
“I won’t say a word about Everton because I don’t know the reality of what actually happened. People will say, ‘OK City, why don’t they go to the conference?’ “I know what you said. Waiting. And after it happens, it will happen.”
Guardiola said he firmly adhered to the view that financial management is important in football and the rules must be respected.
“They decided to introduce regulation to make football more equal and to ensure that the law is respected,” he said. “We are under scrutiny and I’m a big fan of following the rules accordingly. If you do something wrong you should be punished. The game needs to be regulated and UEFA and FIFA decide on FFP and I fully support that.”
Meanwhile, Guardiola joked that he hoped City would not be blamed for the match against Liverpool, which kicks off at 12.30pm. The kick-off time was brought forward from 5.30pm last month due to safety concerns, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp furious that his team had to take another Saturday lunchtime kick-off so soon after the international break.
“I have always sympathized with Jurgen, what he says is true,” Guardiola said. “He’s defending his club. Please don’t blame City for that either! We’re not involved! Kick-off [time] It’s not our fault!”
Guardiola hopes Erling Haaland will be ready for the match. The Norwegian striker trained on Thursday with “some problems” but is expected to be ready.