Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (L) hugs Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling agter the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on March 2, 2019. – Manchester City won the match 1-0. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)
Pep Guardiola insists his legacy at Manchester City will not be impacted by allegations of Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches and the subsequent UEFA investigation.
UEFA announced this week that its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is investigating City following reports from German publication Der Spiegel, which drew upon documents purportedly obtained by whistleblowers Football Leaks.
It was claimed that City topped up multi-million pound sponsorship deals with Abu Dhabi companies in order to circumvent rules around how much money owner Sheikh Mansour could put into the club.
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A City statement, in response to the announcement, welcomed the opening of proceedings, hoping to “bring to an end the speculation.”
City have won the Premier League and two EFL Cups since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in 2016, while they are still able to claim an unprecedented quadruple this season.
Asked if UEFA’s investigation might tarnish the work he has done at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola told a news conference: “No, absolutely not.”
The City boss had little more to say on the matter, however, merely adding that he is keen for the issue to be swiftly settled.
“I think the club made their statement yesterday. I could not add more than that,” he said. “The club is open. Hopefully it can finish as soon as possible and UEFA can decide what it sees.
“I trust what the club has done because I know them. Hopefully they can solve it as soon as possible and stop with this environment.”
CFCB chairman and chief investigator Yves Leterme said in January that City faced “the heaviest punishment” of exclusion from the Champions League if allegations that they deceived UEFA over sponsorship income were proven.
City were fined £49million for breaching FFP regulations in 2014, while UEFA warned last year that any investigation could be re-opened should new information from the time of that sanction come to light.
