Manchester City expect Pep Guardiola to leave the club before any possible punishment for the club’s alleged financial breaches.
City have been charged with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial misconduct, with the Premier League having announced the charges following a four-year investigation on Monday.
The charges relate to a period between 2009 and 2019 and include financial irregularities surrounding sponsorship deals and revenue, breaching UEFA and Premier League FFP regulations and a failure to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation into the club’s dealings.
City have been in this position before, after UEFA hit the club with a two-year ban from European competition and a €30m fine in 2020. On appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the ban was overturned and fine reduced to €10m.
At that time, Pep Guardiola discussed the club’s charges and said he would leave if he discovered that City’s ownership had hidden the truth on their financial dealings.
However, The Athletic are reporting that City are not concerned over Guardiola’s immediate position and believes the issues, and potential punishment, will not be resolved until after the Spaniard leaves the Etihad. Guardiola signed a new deal earlier this season that will keep him at City until 2025.
Premier League rivals have reportedly called for ‘swift justice and punishment’ if City are found guilty. The potential sanctions could include a points deduction or, more severely, relegation from the Premier League. It is unclear whether the club could be stripped of titles won during the period in question.
