Pep Guardiola ‘happy’ with Manchester City hearing set to begin soon

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he is “happy” a hearing into more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules will begin soon.

The club was charged in February 2023 following a four-year investigation, with the Premier League alleging that City failed to provide accurate financial information between 2009-10 and 2017-18.

The league also accuses City of failing to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations in 2013-14 and 2017-18, as well as failing to comply with Premier League profit and sustainability rules in 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Under Premier League rules, if a club is found guilty they could face a loss of points, an unlimited fine or even being banned from the league altogether.

According to media reports, the trial is scheduled to begin on Monday and last about 10 weeks.

“I’m happy it starts on Monday,” Guardiola told a news conference ahead of the Citizens’ match with Brentford on Saturday. “I know there will be more rumours and more verdict specialists. We’ll see. I know what people are looking for, I know what they expect.

“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” he continued. “An independent panel will make a decision, and I look forward to that decision.”

The Premier League has faced criticism over how long it took to get the hearing underway. In May 2023, Guardiola said: “I would like the Premier League or the referees to be able to make (a decision) as quickly as possible. Then, if we do something wrong, everyone will know about it.”

“I hope they won’t be so busy and the referees will see it, listen to both sides and… decide what’s best, because in the end I know honestly that we won on the pitch because we deserved it,” he added.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was also irritated by the wait. “It’s very frustrating because it takes away so much (from) the great work that’s going on at this club and it’s not just on the football pitch,” he said in June 2023 after the club won a historic treble earlier this year.

Neither City nor the Premier League would comment on the hearing when contacted by CNN. Last month, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the BBC that it was “important that the situation resolves itself”, adding that “it is clear that the matter needs to be addressed”.

In 2020, City were initially banned from European football for two seasons for “serious breaches” of FFP regulations. The ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which also reduced the accompanying $34 million fine to $11.3 million, ruling that City had failed to cooperate with UEFA.

The hearing into more than 100 alleged allegations is not the only dispute between City and the Premier League. The Times reported that City had launched legal proceedings in June 2024 over the league’s affiliate dealings rules, which require commercial and sponsorship deals involving companies owned by or linked to the owners of the same club to be independently assessed by the league.

Aleks Klosok and Amanda Davies from CNN assisted in preparing this report.

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