Pep Guardiola has issued a statement after Manchester City were found guilty in their case with the Premier League, declaring his unwavering support for his former club.
The club was found to have arranged "sham" commercial contracts as part of a scheme to hide over £830million in secret funding, filed misstated accounts, and concealed the true state of their finances from auditors and football regulators. The verdict has been described as the biggest scandal in English football history.
Despite the ruling, City have insisted they have "irrefutable evidence" to prove their innocence and overturn the guilty verdict reached by the independent commission, which they are calling an "opinion". The appeal process is expected to begin imminently, with the club launching a last-ditch attempt to clear the charges.
Guardiola's message to fans
Guardiola, who left City at the end of the previous campaign, managed the club for two years during the charging period, which ran between 2009 and 2018. He was appointed in 2016 and won his first Premier League title in the 2017/18 season.
On Wednesday, the Spaniard issued a statement to make his allegiances clear, siding with his former club and sending a heartfelt message to supporters.
"I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here more than ever," said the Spaniard, who currently works as a global ambassador for City Football Group.
"I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman [Khaldoon Al Mubarak], Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."
Potential points deduction
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has suggested that City could face a points deduction before the end of the current campaign, with the Premier League pushing for a speedy appeal process.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: "I think there's a very high chance it will be resolved, because if it isn't, we end up with a situation like that of Burnley and Everton where a club could be relegated, Manchester City are not given a deduction this season and it's given next season instead."
"The club which finishes 18th could say: 'Had the deduction been applied sooner, we would not have been relegated', so that adds to the complication.
"Looking at the Premier League's press release, it does seem it is keen for this to be resolved as quickly as possible.
"If you take at the length of time it took in respect of Forest and Everton, once they had heard the evidence, actually applying the tariff was the quick part of the equation. It is listening to the evidence which is the torturous period which we have had up to now."
It is not known how long the appeal process will take before a final decision is reached.
