Pep Guardiola waited a day, then said the only thing he was ever likely to say. "We will get through this together. I love you all." The man who managed Manchester City from 2016 to 2026 put a message on social media on Wednesday afternoon addressed to the club's players, staff, supporters and owners, and he made no attempt to argue the findings. He simply planted himself on one side of them.
What he actually wrote
"I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever," the post read. "I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters." The Ferran is chief executive Ferran Soriano. The Enzo is Enzo Maresca, the man who has the job Guardiola left. Sky Sports carried the message at 13:56 UK time, roughly a day after the independent commission published its opinion.
Notice what is missing. There is no line about innocence, no complaint about process, nothing about the eight years the case dragged on. Soriano, in a video to players and staff, called the whole thing a "Premier League conspiracy theory". Guardiola went nowhere near that. For a manager who spent the best part of a decade fielding questions about the charges at almost every press conference, the restraint reads as deliberate.
What the commission found
The commission ruled that between 2009-10 and 2017-18, City arranged what it called "sham" contracts with several commercial partners as part of a "disguised funding scheme" that inflated the club's revenues by £830m. It found the club filed accounts concealing the true state of its finances, that it breached both Premier League and Uefa spending limits by a significant margin, and that it broke well over 100 Premier League regulations. On the separate question of co-operation, three of four alleged breaches were upheld and one was not proven.
The commission also called it "regrettable" that the decision had taken so long. The hearing itself ran from September to December 2024. Almost two years passed between the last day of evidence and the publication of the opinion, which is a detail the club is unlikely to let go of.
The appeal, and the calendar
City deny everything and say they will appeal. They have until Friday 2 October to lodge it. Their statement described the opinion as containing "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact" and called it unsafe, while promising to be "relentless, and where necessary proactive" in whatever regulatory and legal forums are open to them. The statement also referred to a "Premier League commission", which is not what it was; the panel was independent.
Meanwhile the punishment debate has started without waiting for the appeal. Jamie Carragher wants titles stripped. Paul Merson wants trophies taken away. Roy Keane said he would put his own City medals in the bin. Micah Richards, who played under Roberto Mancini through the early years covered by the charges, said he was devastated. None of them decide anything, but the noise tells you where the conversation is heading while the lawyers do their work.
The case in brief: Manchester City were charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules in February 2023. The independent commission hearing took place between September and December 2024 and its opinion was published on 29 September 2026, finding the club guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches. Deadline to appeal: Friday 2 October 2026. Pep Guardiola managed the club between 2016 and 2026; Enzo Maresca is the current head coach.
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