Guardiola insists that he trusts the club
Pep Guardiola has responded to a series of ‘leaks’ published last week by German newspaper Der Spiegel purporting to reveal Manchester City had breached Fifa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
Ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow, Pep Guardiola was asked about the allegations that the club falsified their books to allow extra investment from the owner.
“The club has made a statement on Friday about what happened, stolen emails. Of course I trust the club. Of course we want to follow the rules,” the City boss said.
“UEFA, FIFA and the Premier League, they do what they have to do.
“Believe me, I’m completely honest, I don’t know what happened, I’m a manager, focused on the pitch, and the locker room.
“I’m a manager. I’m completely out of how we handle this situation. I’m part of the club, I support the club. We want to do what we have to do in terms of the rules.”
The 47-year-old also claimed that it would be unfair to put Man City’s success down to financial investment alone, adding: “If people say it’s just about money we accept it, but that point of view is completely wrong. We work a lot in a good way.”
His response comes after both Fifa and Manchester City issued statements in response to the allegations, denying any wrongdoing.
Manchester City’s statement read: “We will not be providing any comment on out of context materials purportedly hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people,” the statement read.
“The attempt to damage the Club’s reputation is organised and clear.”
