Pep Guardiola has called for the 115 Premier League charges levelled against Manchester City to be dealt with “as soon as possible”.
City were referred to an independent commission in February over alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018, and have also been accused by the Premier League of not cooperating since the investigation started in December 2018.
The sheer scale of the charges, which the club strongly deny, and the magnitude of the implications if found guilty suggest it is a case which will drag on for months, possibly years.
Guardiola does not want a cloud hanging over his side’s achievements, stating his desire for a swift resolution. The Catalan, who has a contract until 2025, stressed he would not walk away from the club while potential sanctions remain.
“I will stay next season while there are 110 breaches against us,” said Guardiola, who when asked whether he could extend three or four years beyond that added: “No, no, no. These two are enough.
“What I would like is if the Premier League and judges could make something as soon as possible, then if we have done something wrong everybody will know it.
“And if, we are like we believe as a club for many years, in the right way then the people will stop talking about that. We would love it tomorrow, this afternoon better than tomorrow.
“Hopefully they are not so busy and the judges can see both sides and decide what is the best because in the end I know fairly what we won we won on the pitch and we don’t have any doubts.
“We accept it is there. If it happened it happened. (But) let’s go, 24 hours sit down and lawyers present. Don’t wait two years. Why don’t we do it quicker? Let’s have it as soon as possible for the benefit of everyone. We want to defend our principles and if people doubt, OK, let’s go, let’s do it as soon as possible please.”
The alleged breaches concern the reporting of accurate financial information, the submission of details of manager and player pay information within the relevant contracts, a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability regulations.
The club are also alleged to have breached rules requiring them to co-operate and assist with the Premier League’s investigation into those breaches, which the league says began in December 2018.
City face Manchester United in the FA Cup final at the start of June before taking on Inter Milan for what they will hope will be the final hurdle in the club’s treble bid. Guardiola was asked whether he would consider walking away if he is finally able to lead the club to the Champions League.
“Right now I am not thinking about leaving, but who knows?” he said.
“I would like to continue here next season independent of the result. I don’t know what it’s going to feel like winning or losing, but my feeling is I have a contract and I want to respect the club.”
