Guardiola's decade of defiance: every key statement on Man City's 114 charges

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges brought against them in February 2023, a verdict that sent shockwaves through English football on Friday. Throughout the eight-year investigation, former head coach Pep Guardiola was repeatedly drawn into the controversy — and rarely shied away from it.

The questions began as early as 2019, when City beat Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final to complete a domestic treble. In the post-match press conference, Guardiola was asked whether he had received separate payments from the club’s owners, similar to allegations made against former manager Roberto Mancini. His response was furious.

“Do you know the question you’re asking me?” Guardiola said. “Did I receive money for another situation, right now, today? Honestly, do you think I deserve to have this type of question, the day we won the treble?”

He went on to address the concurrent UEFA investigation, insisting he trusted the club’s leadership. “I listen to my chairman and my CEO, they give me the arguments for why we are under investigation and I trust them. They tell me we are fair and we absolutely follow the rules, I believe them.”

That UEFA investigation initially resulted in a two-year ban from European competition, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ruling — a precedent Guardiola cited when the Premier League charges were formally announced in 2023.

“My first thought is we’re already being condemned,” he said at the time. “It’s the same with UEFA, we were already condemned. The club proved we were completely innocent. In the end, I know fairly that what we won, we won on the pitch. We don’t have any doubts.”

In November 2024, with the independent commission’s verdict still pending, Guardiola signed a new contract and addressed speculation that he might walk away if City were found guilty. He went further than most expected, stating he was actually more likely to remain at the club if they were relegated as a consequence of the charges — a remarkable pledge from a manager who had won six Premier League titles at the Etihad.

Guardiola ultimately left City at the end of the 2024-25 season, departing before the verdict was delivered. The club’s official statement following Friday’s ruling maintained the position it has held throughout: that the Premier League process has been subject to strict confidentiality, and that the club has “diligently respected due process for eight years.”

City added that they had operated on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive “would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence” — a pointed remark as the full implications of the verdict begin to unfold.