On February 6, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola dropped a “bombshell” in the English Premier League.
The announcement came shortly after the Premier League announced an investigation into the club’s violations of Financial Fair Play (FFP), a set of fair financial rules, totaling 115 violations over the past nine years. The Premier League accused City of a total of 115 breaches of FFP regulations. Between 2013 and 2018, City failed to comply with UEFA’s rules on club licenses. From 2015 to 2018, the Premier League concluded, the club broke the Premier League’s rules on revenue.
Reacting to the shocking news, Guardiola dropped the bombshell: “If the chairman of City lies about breaking the rules, I will leave the club,” he said, which was widely reported in the British media. Of course, Guardiola had insisted that City were “innocent until proven guilty” in the investigation into the 115 FFP allegations.
Media reports at the time suggested that the first time Guardiola showed up to team training after the announcement of City’s FFP violations, he looked devastated. The media reported that he watched the training session with a distraught look on his face, as if his mind had already left him.
“Guardiola looks fed up with City training,” said The Sun at the time. Guardiola is seen hunched over an icebox in the training room, lost in thought. Or maybe he was just sitting there in a daze.
On November 25, when the Premier League resumed after the international break, Guardiola reportedly claimed he would stay if the club were relegated to League One, or the EFL. However, according to The Sun, the comments he made in February are coming back to haunt him. “I would leave City,” he said in February.
There is a lot of talk surrounding City at the moment. Everton are almost certain to be relegated next season after being docked 10 points for their latest FFP violation.
The Toffees have broken more rules than Everton, and for the past nine months, an independent committee has been fighting a fierce battle over their violations of the Premier League’s rules. 캡틴토토 주소
If the committee finds them guilty. Manchester City could face penalties that include a transfer ban, points deduction, spending caps, title stripping, and even expulsion from the Premier League. Currently, the most likely outcome is expulsion from the Premier League and simultaneous relegation to the EFL. Of course, the committee’s conclusion could take up to four years, so it’s unlikely to be finalized this season.
However, the media is reporting that a decision on City could come as early as next year. Some reports have even suggested that City will be relegated.
This is why Guardiola insisted that he would likely stay at the club even if they were relegated to Ligue 1. “You are asking questions as if we have been punished,” he said in an interview ahead of the league’s resumption. At the moment we are innocent until proven guilty,” he said, adding: “I know what people want. I know what they want. Let’s wait and I’ll explain when it’s concluded.”
Guardiola then added: “I’m not going to consider my future. If we get relegated, the only thing that will change is whether we’re here or in Ligue 1,” he said, emphasizing that he would remain with the team even if relegated.
The media pointed out that this contradicts what Guardiola said in February, when he said, “If the owner lies to me, I will leave the team.”