MAN CITY v NEWCASTLE
PEP GUARDIOLA has admitted he would have QUIT Manchester City if they had been found guilty of fiddling Financial Fair Play rules.
In the end, City had their two-year Champions League ban and £25million fine imposed by UEFA overturned on appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July 2020 – although they were fined £9m for refusing to co-operate with the investigation.
Now, as he prepares to welcome Saudi Arabia-backed Newcastle today, Guardiola has revealed that he had placed his trust in claims from City’s Abu Dhabi-based owners that the club was innocent of any FFP wrongdoing – and he would have had no option but to walk away had they not been exonerated.
Guardiola said: “Every single word that I have said – even if some people didn’t believe it – was said because I truly, truly believe the club.
“If I defend the people and the club it’s because I work with them.
“When I asked about suspicions or if our people had done something, I said to them, ‘Tell me’.
“I said to them, ‘If you lie to me, the day after that I will not be here. I will be out and you will not be my friend any more’.
“I looked at them and believed them 100 percent from day one. So I defend the club because of that.
“Because, when we put something [a sponsorship] on the shirt, they [UEFA] say it’s overpaid.
“They say the money has come from the state and other places – but the money is correct. It might be higher, but it is correct. They have to handle that.”
Guardiola refuses to forgive or forget the nine Premier League clubs who wrote to CAS to demand that City’s ban should be
upheld, while their appeal was being constructed by their lawyers.
Newcastle were part of that group – along with Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Leicester, Wolves and Burnley.
Guardiola added: “What CAS said means a lot to all of us. In the end it broke all the suspicion.
“Nine teams in the Premier League wanted to sack Manchester City from European competitions.
“They pushed and I know who they are, so I liked it when CAS did that – and they did it properly.”
Guardiola, who was announced as City’s successor to Manuel Pellegrini in February 2016 and took the reins that summer, added: “[The appeal ruling] was good for me because of the belief I had in what the guys said had been done. Most who were running it back then were not here when I came.
“I like to represent a club that is doing things properly. In the end it’s not about winning the Premier League or the Champions League, it’s about always doing it well, for our people and our fans.”
Guardiola believes Newcastle’s new owners will use City as a blueprint to turn the Toon into a major Premier League force in the
coming years. And Magpies boss Eddie Howe can expect the same grilling about human rights and finances that Guardiola has faced in his six seasons in Manchester.
Guardiola said: “I think their intention is the same, without speaking to the Newcastle owners.
“I think that’s what they want. That’s what they are trying to do. Will they do it? I don’t know, but they will try.”
City go into today’s game desperate for three points to maintain their charge for a fourth Premier League title in five seasons.
They suffered more Champions League heartbreak in midweek when their last-minute collapse at Real Madrid brought elimination in the semi-finals.
Guardiola has maintained throughout his reign that the Premier League means more to him than Europe. But he can understand why their exit is being used as a stick to beat him with.
He said: “I understand both. The Champions League is so attractive and the emotion it brings. The Champions League is like Sergio Aguero scoring after 93 minutes and 20 seconds. It’s comparable.
“The people say, ‘[Choose] the Champions League or Premier League’, but both competitions are awesome.”