Pep Guardiola has no doubt Man City’s rivals want to see them sanctioned
Pep Guardiola has no doubt Manchester City’s rivals are hoping the club are punished for breaching financial regulations.
The Premier League champions are facing 115 charges that they broke the competition’s rules following a four-year investigation.
A long-awaited hearing into the allegations that could last up to 10 weeks is set to begin on Monday, with City potentially facing a hefty points deduction or even expulsion from the league if found guilty.
Javier Tebas, the president of Spain’s LaLiga and a longtime outspoken critic of Abu Dhabi-owned City’s financial model, has claimed a number of Premier League clubs want to see sanctions imposed.
City manager Guardiola, who rarely sees eye to eye with Tebas, feels his fellow Spaniard could be right on this point but, with the club denying any wrongdoing, he has urged them all to be patient and await the outcome.
He said: “Maybe he’s right. For the fact that the Premier League teams want us to be sanctioned, that is for sure.
“I agree with Tebas for the first time, and hopefully the last. I am pretty sure I agree with that.
“I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting – I know it because I have read it for many years – but I’ve said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven.
“That’s why I say to Mr Tebas and the Premier League teams wait for the independent panel.
“Justice is there in modern democratic countries, so wait for the decision. It’s not much more complicated than that.
“We believe that we have not done anything wrong, so we go to an independent panel and we are going to wait.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, has expressed frustration at the scheduling of his side’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at home to Watford for Tuesday, September 24 – two days after a crunch Premier League clash against Arsenal – but admits complaints are futile.
City declined the option to play on Thursday because that would have meant a short turnaround before a Saturday lunchtime encounter with Newcastle.
They could not play at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday because of a clash with a Manchester United fixture. There was a possibility of switching the tie to Vicarage Road but City did not entertain that.
Guardiola said: “People say players and managers, with their money, shouldn’t complain but it’s about health. Doctors say bodies have to recover for four or five days. We did three and now two.
“We will do our job anyway – with this salary or less salary – because we love to do it but we play Arsenal on the Sunday and it’s not an easy game and after two days later we have to do it (against Watford).
“We’re not going to change, the meetings are useless. If they decide they’re going to do it they’re going to do it.”
Guardiola was speaking at a press conference to preview Saturday’s home clash with Brentford.
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