Pep Guardiola has broken his silence over Manchester City’s guilty verdict with a note that reads as a declaration of loyalty, not a defence.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the Spaniard put his name behind the owner, the chairman, the chief executive and the current squad. He never used the one word his old club keeps repeating in its own statements: innocent.
Guardiola wrote.
“I want every single Manchester City fan across the world 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.”
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“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
The names tucked into the message cover the whole operational chain at the Etihad: owner Sheikh Mansour, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive Ferran Soriano and head coach Enzo Maresca, who replaced Guardiola over the summer.
‘Relentless’, says the club
City’s own line on the verdict has been combative from the first hour.
The club called itself “disappointed and surprised” by the ruling, insisted it is “innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League” and vowed to be “relentless” in pursuing appeals and further legal action.
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Guardiola’s note does none of that. It accepts no outcome, denies no charge and names no finding. It simply tells supporters he is standing with the people he worked for.
According to NBC News, the independent commission found City guilty on 114 of 115 charges, covering alleged financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018 and a subsequent failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the ruling “details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade”.
A separate hearing will decide sanctions, which could range from a fine to a points deduction or expulsion from the league. The appeal deadline falls on Friday 2 October.
The condition Pep set in 2022
Guardiola’s refusal to parrot the “innocent” line carries weight because of a line he set himself more than four years ago.
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In May 2022, with the Premier League investigation already active, Guardiola explained why he kept defending the club in public, saying he had been assured there was nothing to the allegations.
“If you lie to me, the day after I will not be here, I will be out and you will not be my friend anymore,” he told reporters at the time.
He did not leave the day after the charges were formally filed in February 2023. He did not leave when the hearing opened either. He stayed until the summer of 2026, winning six Premier League titles across a decade in Manchester before handing over to Maresca.
The sanctions hearing has no public date yet. City have until Friday 2 October to lodge their appeal.
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