Pep Guardiola is planning a surprise return to the Etihad Stadium as a show of support for his former club, with Manchester City engulfed in crisis after being found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
The Spaniard, who left his post as City manager at the end of last season after a decade in charge, is expected to attend one of the club’s home fixtures.
According to Manchester City insider ‘RealTolmie’, it is understood Guardiola has told senior figures at the club he would like to “be with his people”.
City are facing the gravest crisis in their modern history after an independent commission found the club guilty of almost all of the 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the ruling showed the club had “systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade,” according to the league’s official statement reported widely in British media this week.
The commission found that City’s financial arrangements were designed to “artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million ($1.19 billion) during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules,” the Premier League said.
City have strongly denied wrongdoing throughout, insisting they were “disappointed and surprised” by the commission’s findings and vowing to pursue an appeal “relentlessly”.
Guardiola’s message to the fans
Guardiola, who won 20 trophies during his ten years at the Etihad before stepping down in May, has already sent a message of support to supporters since the verdict was announced.
Posting on social media, he wrote: “I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever.
“I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran (Soriano, CEO), the players, staff, Enzo (Maresca) and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear – we will get through this together. I love you all.”
It is that same spirit, according to reports, that is driving his plans to appear in person at home game. That is a symbolically significant gesture from a manager who has largely kept a deliberately low profile since handing over the reins to Enzo Maresca in the summer.
Guardiola had previously signalled his intention to remain close to the club he transformed into one of the most dominant forces in English football.
Speaking as he began his new role as a City ambassador, he said: “I will be behind-the-scenes, yes or yes. If they need me, I will be there. Manchester City for me is something special in my life. One day, of course, I will be back at the Etihad Stadium. But now I want to be behind-the-scenes.”
Club braces for sanctions hearing
The guilty verdict has shaken the club to its foundations, with sanctions still to be determined at a separate, private hearing before the same independent commission.
Punishments could range from a substantial fine to a points deduction, though any prospect of relegation is considered unlikely given the nature of the charges upheld. City have, however, submitted a formal appeal against the findings, the league has confirmed.
For a club that redefined success in the Premier League era — four titles in a row among them — the coming weeks promise to be as testing as any in its history.
