Guardiola returns to Etihad as UEFA eyes second punishment for Man City

Pep Guardiola will return to the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City’s Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, marking his first visit since departing as manager — a homecoming overshadowed by the club’s ongoing fight against 114 proven breaches of Premier League financial rules.

An independent panel confirmed last week that City used ‘sham’ sponsorship deals between 2009 and 2018 to artificially inflate revenue and circumvent Financial Fair Play regulations, a finding the club has consistently denied. City lodged an appeal immediately after the verdict, with both the club and the Premier League set to submit evidence to a newly convened three-person independent panel.

Should the appeal fail and the guilty verdict stand, City face a range of potential punishments including fines, points deductions, transfer bans, or relegation from the Premier League.

The threat does not stop there. UEFA is reportedly monitoring the outcome closely and could pursue its own action once a final verdict is reached. The governing body previously handed City a two-year ban from European competition in 2020 for breaching UEFA’s own financial fair play rules, though that sanction was overturned on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Reports indicate that the Premier League had access to documents and evidence that were not available to UEFA when it built its original case in 2020, potentially giving the governing body fresh grounds to act.

Guardiola, who left City at the end of last season after a decade in charge, publicly declared his support for the club the day after the guilty verdict was announced. “I want every single fan to know I am here; more than ever,” he wrote on social media. “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. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”

His attendance at the PSG match represents a further show of solidarity. Inside the dressing room, players have reportedly been given assurances by club officials that ‘sporting justice’ will prevail — a message relayed publicly by the agent of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The full squad returned to training for the first time since the verdict as preparations for the PSG tie got underway.