Guardiola says he stands with Manchester City after panel finds club guilty of financial violations
BARCELONA — Pep Guardiola said on Wednesday he remains "behind my club" Manchester City after an independent panel published a report on Tuesday, September 29, that found the club guilty of dozens of financial violations; it was his first public comment since the report.
Guardiola was in charge of Manchester City from 2016-26, a period in which the side won six Premier Leagues, the 2023 Champions League and three FA Cups among other trophies. The panel’s findings have been widely viewed as the biggest scandal in English soccer history and were described in the coverage as a "bombshell" report.
Guardiola posted on social media on Wednesday and wrote: “I want every single @ManCity fan 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. Let me be clear: we will get through this together.”
The post on X was accompanied by pictures showing Guardiola in a Manchester City shirt celebrating with club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, lifting the Champions League trophy, applauding fans and celebrating the Premier League title in 2023. The social-media images were published alongside the statement and the quoted lines concluded with "I love you all." in his message.
A Reuters photograph used in the reporting was captioned: "BARCELONA (L - R) Manchester City assistant coaches Lorenzo Buenaventura and Rodolfo Borrell, manager Pep Guardiola, assistant coach Mikel Arteta, coach Carles Planchart and assistant coach Brian Kidd pose with the trophy as they celebrate after winning the FA Cup." The caption accompanied images of the coaching staff with a trophy.
The coverage says City’s alleged financial wrongdoing — made possible in part through what the league said were "sham" commercial deals — was worth more than 900 million pounds ($1.19 billion). The report links those alleged breaches to the period that included Guardiola’s tenure.
The article carrying Guardiola’s statement was published on September 30, 2026, with a line showing "Published - September 30, 2026 06:52 pm IST" and an updated line reading "Updated - September 30, 2026 07:15 pm IST."
