Pep Guardiola backs Man City after guilty verdict on financial charges

What the report says

Pep Guardiola has publicly backed Manchester City after an independent commission found the Premier League club guilty of serious breaches of financial rules, according to Al Jazeera. Guardiola, who managed City for 10 years before leaving in May, posted a message on X saying he stood by the club, its owners, staff and supporters and that they would get through the case together.

The ruling covers allegations tied to the period from 2009 to 2018. Al Jazeera reported that the charges included claims that the club used commercial arrangements to inflate revenue and understate costs, and that the commission also found City guilty of most claims linked to failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation. City has denied wrongdoing and said it intends to appeal.

The decision has intensified scrutiny of one of English football’s most successful modern clubs. Guardiola led City to six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and the Champions League during his tenure, while the club said its chief executive Ferran Soriano had already rejected the commission’s findings in a staff briefing. Possible penalties have not been determined, but the case has raised the prospect of points deductions, fines or other sanctions, making the appeal process especially important for the club and the wider league.