Former coach Pep Guardiola backs Manchester City‘s owners and hierarchy, insisting he’ll always stand with the club after it was found guilty of every financial‑rules charge.
An independent panel concluded City used sham contracts with several commercial partners to hide over £830 million of hidden funding.
The league said City breached financial rules from 2009‑10 to 2017‑18 and failed to cooperate on every count except one.
The club still denies any fault and has until 2 October to lodge an appeal.
Guardiola arrived at City in July 2016 and departed last summer.
He posted, “I want every Manchester City fan worldwide to know I’m here; more than ever.”
He added, “I am, always have been, always will be behind my club, my owner, my chairman Ferran Soriano, the players, staff, manager Enzo Maresca and you, our unique supporters.”
Let me be clear: we will get through this together.
I love you all.
During his decade, Guardiola secured six league crowns—including a record four‑in‑a‑row—plus a Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups. For my money, those honours now sit under a cloud of controversy.
Before leaving, Guardiola warned in November 2024 that he’d stay “here” even if City faced relegation.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the club remains confident of proving innocence, while chief executive Ferran Soriano claimed in a video that the commission ignored irrefutable evidence.
Owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, City called the guilty verdict both disappointing and surprising.
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Former defender Micah Richards said he felt absolutely devastated after reading the Premier League’s damning verdict on the club’s finances.
He told The Rest is Football podcast, “The reports were troubling. Seeing the term ‘sham contracts’ left me devastated.”
“I’ve been at the club since I was 14, I’d die for it. Achieving my dream there, then hearing these reports, and seeing fans suffer, is utterly heartbreaking.”
While in City’s academy, Richards lived with a local family who have supported the club for decades.
The 38‑year‑old said, “My host called, in tears, asking for information I don’t have. I can’t give him answers.”
“Someone who’s backed the club for 60‑odd years faces this uncertainty—it’s heartbreaking.”
“A headline like this for a club I love is painful. The reports are damning.”
“I feel sad, angry, confused, because City’s side of the story exists too.”
City clinched their second Premier League title in 2013‑14, overtaking Liverpool to finish two points ahead.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, retired 2013, said, “I feel for the players. Their careers may now carry an asterisk, with many calling it a sham.”
“The players were told all was fine. What the City hierarchy now reveals feels like gaslighting.”
“I think the titles should be stripped. Whether other clubs keep theirs is another matter. City have hurt their own players.”
The 2013‑14 season was the closest Steven Gerrard, Carragher’s long‑time teammate, came to winning the league.
“No one remembers the medal. Returning trophies means little; it’s about the feelings.”