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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola refused to be drawn into his opinion about the club's alleged 115 breaches. The hearing for the case is set to begin on Monday (September 16) but the Spaniard refused to offer his view on his club's involvement.
The reigning Premier League champions have been accused of breaching the league's financial rules through 115 charges and for also failing to cooperate with the investigation. The charges were reported by an independent commission in February last year after a long probe into the club's conduct between 2009 and 2018.
In a press conference ahead of Manchester City's match against Brentford on September 14, Guardiola was asked if he has spoken to his players about the upcoming hearing. The Spaniard revealed that he doesn't talk about it with his players.
"I don’t talk about it. We are not lawyers. Erling [Haaland] is not a lawyer so we didn’t talk about it," said Guardiola via Football365. "What is going to happen is with the independent panel and we will accept the sentence."
The City boss, however, admitted that he is looking forward to the decision and called for the process to be completed swiftly.
"It [the hearing] starts soon and hopefully finishes soon. An independent panel will decide. I’m looking forward to the decision," the former Barcelona manager said.
The possibility of a heavy points deduction, fine, or relegation for Manchester City is hotly speculated among football circles if they are found guilty.
However, the club, which has won six Premier League titles in the past seven seasons, are refuting all allegations of wrongdoing. They have claimed to have irrefutable evidence to support their case.
Guardiola expressed his pleasure at the hearing starting soon. He said that it will help silence all the rumours surrounding the punishment meted out to the club if the charges are proven.
"I’m happy it starts on Monday and I know there will be more rumours about the sentences that come up and we’re going to see. I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting – I know it because I have read it for many years – but I’ve said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven. So we will see," said the 53-year-old.
The hearing is expected to be a long-drawn affair with City having the option to challenge it in case the verdict does not go in their favour.
"We're not going to change" - Manchester City boss Guardiola
Pep Guardiola also spoke about the fixture congestion his side are facing this month. City play five matches in 15 days after returning from the international break. This includes a Carabao Cup tie just over 48 hours after their match against Premier League title challengers Arsenal on September 22.
The former Barcelona boss said on the fixture congestion (via Football365):
"This is going to happen more and more. It’s impossible to fix all the schedules and calendars."
When asked about raising the issue with the authorities, a visibly frustrated Guardiola said that the meetings are useless.
"We’re not going to change, the meetings are useless. If they decide they’re going to do it they’re going to do it," said the Manchester City boss.
Manchester City could be without their top scorer, Erling Haaland, for the Brentford match. The Norwegian, who lost a close friend recently, will take a late call to decide if he is mentally ready to play.
