Guardiola on City's financial irregularities: I am not a lawyer and the accused is innocent until proven guilty

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was awaiting a decision from an independent commission into his club's 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules ahead of a hearing on Monday.

A hearing session will begin that could last for two months, and a decision is expected to be issued at the end of the season, coinciding with 6 matches played by the team that won the league for the last 4 seasons, over two weeks in 3 different competitions, the first of which is against its guest Brentford tomorrow, Saturday.

"It starts soon, hopefully it will end soon. An independent committee will decide and I look forward to the decision," Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

The coach said the players were not discussing what might happen in the hearing.

"I'm not a lawyer. Erling (Haaland) is not a lawyer," he added, saying City would accept the decision. "Everyone is innocent until proven guilty."

In February 2023, City was referred to an independent commission over alleged breaches dating back to the 2009-10 season, with the club alleged to have breached rules on providing accurate information.

The club is also accused of failing to comply with league rules requiring clubs to follow UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons, and failing to follow league rules on profitability and sustainability between the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.

City could face sanctions such as a points deduction or relegation if found guilty. Everton and Nottingham Forest were also docked points last season for breaching the rules.

(Reuters)