The Premier League charged Man City with numerous alleged breaches of financial rules on Monday; Pep Guardiola: "I am fully convinced we will be innocent"; watch Man City vs Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm on Super Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm
Saturday 11 February 2023 07:07, UK
Pep Guardiola came out in a defiant mood in the wake of Man City being charged by the Premier League. Below is the full transcript from his extraordinary press conference..
The Premier League charged City with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial regulations on Monday and has referred the findings to an independent commission.
The charges relate to a nine-year period from 2009 but City say they are "surprised" and "welcome a review of this matter".
Guardiola faced the media on Friday for the first time since the charges were made. And he didn't hold back...
"Good morning everyone. My first words on behalf of the club are for the people in Turkey and Syria for these terrible moments.
"My first thought is that we are already being condemned. What has happened this week after Monday is the same as what happened with [the] UEFA [case, in which Man City had a two-year ban from European football overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport]. With UEFA we were condemned. We had already accusations, now we have just charges.
"Why should in that situation, when they told me before they defend the accusation from UEFA, the club proved we were completely innocent, why should we not think right now when we are being condemned from charges and suggestions?
"You have to understand that between 19 teams of the Premier League is accusing us without the latest opportunity to defend and the words of my chairman, my CEO, my people explain everything during these three or four years, you know exactly on what side I am."
"Another side I would say we are lucky we live in a marvellous country where we have a society where everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We didn't have this opportunity. We are already sentenced and tough. What is going to happen I don't know.
"Personally, I am happy we are here. Like UEFA, it happens, we have the chance to defend. I think we have good lawyers, but we can't say UEFA had bad, bad lawyers. I think the Premier League, supported by 19 teams to put it out for the Premier League, will have good lawyers too to defend their position like we're going to defend our position. I would have loved to wait and see and time will dictate what's going to happen.
"Just in case we are not innocent we will accept what the judge in the Premier League decides, but what happens if in the same situation that UEFA happened we are innocent, what happens to restore or pay back our damage?
"Because the damage is now for one decade, eight, nine, 10. One week later, UEFA make a statement against us, nine teams - Burnley, Wolves, Leicester, Newcastle, Spurs, Arsenal, United, Liverpool, Chelsea - [write a letter wanting us] out of the Champions League, that they wanted that position.
"Like Julius Caesar, they are not in this world, they are not enemies or friends, just interests. They wanted to put it out to take that position that we won on the pitch, take it in our position.
"Now it is not different in that moment, absolutely zero.
"The same articles, the same accusations, the same everything. We have to be out of the Champions League, now we have to go to League Two or maybe the Conference. We are not a team with a long history or titles, we have been in the lower divisions, and we will be back there. It's not a problem just in case. We'll get Paul Dickov and Mike Summerbee and we will do a good process and will be back, I'm pretty sure. But they should wait because at the end, the Premier League decide we're going to defend ourselves as we did in the UEFA situation."
"It's not an unprecedented story, it's the second time. We lived that before two or three years ago. You accuse us - we should be out. But between these nine teams before and the 19 teams now - between their word and the word of my people, I'm sorry but I rely on the words of my people."
"The club talked with all of us but I didn't speak, we trained like normal to try and beat Aston Villa."
"Why should they be distracted? I'm confident in my players. The moment that Sergio scored, that Ilkay Gundogan scored against Aston Villa, all those moments that we lived belong to us and our fans and our people. After, the court will dictate what happens. I'm fully convinced that we will be innocent, and then what will happen next? Will it stop now? It's not because of UEFA but since Abu Dhabi took over the club, since day one it was like that."
"We lost at Tottenham, the rest was quite good. FA Cup, Premier League and the game in Spurs was not good enough but not bad enough. Of course we know the situation, we have to make more consistency in results and we're going to try and start on Sunday."
"I'm delighted with the team. I know how they train day to day and normally in the previous season in the toughest moments we were there and I have the feeling we will continue to do it."
"We are not part of the establishment of this league but at the same time I understand they can do it but let us defend ourselves please. So that's all. I don't know about other countries but in this country, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And it didn't happen. UEFA give the sentence we are not given that. And we are already where what will happen. If we are innocent who is going to come back and return our damage. What the people write and tell about us. We try to do our best on the pitch like everyone else.
"A few lessons, they should do it. Unfortunately it will be a long period. Today I speak because it is my turn but it will be over from now on because now it is time for the lawyers for both sides to defend the positions of one side or the other one then I am not involved. It should happen immediately one month or two months but I know that what happened with UEFA we will continue to do it that way."
"Try to beat Aston Villa try to play good against a good side with many weapons with a manager with a lot of experience in important games. The players will be focused on our game in the past and in the future."
"No, of course what we won on the pitch absolutely everything but you know what happened on Monday a lot of words, a lot of noise. In the next days I have the feeling that everyone is going to do the job, ourselves on the pitch and our lawyers in the court."
"The same one happened with UEFA. I would say they are more confident, maybe they have more experience and more information. They have a lot of pages that they present to UEFA that they are now introduce against the Premier League. So I said do everyone, continue to do a good job, the players do the job, the doctors, the physios and everyone is going to do the job."
"It happened in UEFA. Now it happens I don't think we are going to talk about it every day so we have to adjust, adapt and focus on what we have to do on the pitch."
"Yeah but the timing is the timing and there are a lot of processes. It will be long. I know what is going to happen. I would love to say it is going to be tomorrow."
"It is difficult for me to answer this question. I don't know. They open a precedent right now, what they have done to us, be careful, because in the future many clubs can make suggestions and there are a lot of clubs that can be accused like we are being accused without maybe being innocent.
"I don't know what's going to happen in the future. I can have an opinion and feeling but when they push to get rid of us from this competition, that is obvious because they believe that we didn't behave properly and we can accept that but let us defend when we believe we did it properly. Like we showed not one century ago, just a few years ago, the same situation we have today we had it in the past - the same thing happened in UEFA and it happened today and we didn't learn about that. There are suggestions, not sentences about that. It's completely different."
"Hopefully the reason they are going to sack me is the results. It is the reason managers leave their position or stay in the position. And I think in that situation we will decide together because of the confidence and trust that we have in each other. But I am not moving from this seat. I can assure you, more than ever that I want to stay. Sometimes I have doubts, seven years already is a long time in any country. Now I don't want to move. Not because people say they lied to you Pep. They didn't lie to me.
"Look what happened with UEFA. I said to them: what happened? Pep, we did nothing wrong. We proved it. It is the same case. Why should I don't trust with my people? Why should I trust the CEOs or the owners of the 19 clubs, the nine clubs like it was with UEFA? No, I trust my people. Between them and my people, I trust my people. Not one second for the other ones."
"We are not alone when we are together but against 19 teams we are alone that's for sure. But it will not be sustained for two years just because they accuse you, you have to play good. We have to beat Aston Villa, the other 19 clubs are not going to help us beat Aston Villa, we are going to have to do it like always we have done it. Aguero scored a goal to give us the Premier League, Gundogan scored two goals against Aston Villa to win the Premier League some months ago. We did it on the pitch. We have to do it off the pitch? OK but let us let us defend [ourselves] ok and after if we did something wrong, which I don't think is going to happen, we accept it. I said the same before with UEFA, rely on them 100 per cent.
"If at the end the judge says we did something wrong we are going to accept it. Of course we are going to accept it. But what happens if we are innocent, how are we going to get back all the damages that have been done? No, they are going to be punished with points deduction and go down to the second or third division, how many ideas? I don't know where they come from. But if we are innocent what is going to happen?"
"The future is lunchtime after this marvellous press conference. Aston Villa and after Arsenal and the Champions League is around the corner. This is the future I would say. What is going to happen we cannot control it and what the players have to do is defend this club as well as possible and what they have done in the last 10, 12 years."
"Right now? What we are going to live? No, I don't know what is going to happen, I have the same feeling I had with UEFA, it was quite similar but UEFA was worse. I would say to the players, tomorrow, focus on your talent and after what's going to happen in the the end in one year and a half, two years, I don't want to anticipate it because honestly I don't know. All the other people want to anticipate it, I don't want to anticipate it."
Watch Manchester City vs Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm on Super Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.
