Guardiola 'will move mountains' to clear his name after Man City's guilty verdict

Pep Guardiola will not accept people “questioning everything he’s achieved” at Manchester City following the club’s guilty verdict on 114 Premier League charges, according to his former Brescia team-mate Stephen Appiah.

The independent commission found City guilty of financial rule breaches spanning from the 2009/10 season through to 2017/18 — a period that includes Guardiola’s first two seasons in charge, culminating in the record-breaking 100-point title campaign. The verdict has cast a shadow over every trophy won during that era, including the historic treble, and has raised fresh questions about the legitimacy of a dynasty Guardiola spent a decade building.

Appiah, who played alongside Guardiola at Brescia, told The Sun that the Catalan’s personality makes the situation particularly difficult to bear. “I think people underestimate how intense Pep is,” Appiah said. “He’s a straightforward person. At least when we were at Brescia, he was always with me and Roberto Baggio, he’d follow us everywhere. He’s somebody who, when there is an issue, wants to solve the issue there and then. He doesn’t like living with a bad feeling.”

Appiah added: “When something happens around the team, even when we didn’t get results, you could see that it got to him. So I know all these things that are happening around Man City, the moment he walks out of the door, I know he’s feeling it. It’s not going to be easy for him. And as we know, he’s a very passionate person, so he won’t be happy with people questioning what he’s done in the game and everything he achieved. Given how I know him from our time together, he will be moving mountains trying to get to the bottom of these issues once and for all.”

Throughout the years the charges were pending, Guardiola consistently backed the club’s hierarchy and maintained City’s innocence. His decision to step down as manager this summer — announced before the verdict landed — has itself drawn scrutiny, though City have appealed the commission’s findings.

Since the ruling, Guardiola addressed City supporters directly. “I want every single Manchester City fan across the world 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 [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.”