Pep Guardiola breaks his silence: Former Man City boss BACKS guilty club and tells fans 'I am here for you' after bombshell verdict

Published: 08:26 EDT, 30 September 2026 | Updated: 08:43 EDT, 30 September 2026 Pep Guardiola has broken his silence on Manchester City being found guilty of all the substantive charges brought against them by the Premier League for financial wrongdoing – and told fans: ‘we will get through this together’.The official verdict was released on Tuesday afternoon which showed City had cooked the books to the tune of nearly £900million through money artificially pumped into the club by their Abu Dhabi owners over a nine-year period.And now legendary manager Guardiola, who left the club this summer after overseeing a trophy-laden decade at the club - including six Premier League titles - has posted a message to fans.Posting on the X account ran by his team, Guardiola said: ‘I want every single Man City fan 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, manager) and you, our unique supporters.‘Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.’As well as six Premier League titles, Guardiola won the Champions League, three FA Cups, five Carabao Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup during his time at City.There is no suggestion that Guardiola was complicit in any of the financial doping, though the period City have been charged with does overlap with the first two years of his tenure. Pep Guardiola with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in 2024, after his sixth title win with CityThe club were accused by the top flight of ‘sham’ deals during the period they became the major force in English football.In a damning 40-page verdict, City artificially inflated sponsorship agreements and pumped money into the club from its Abu Dhabi owners via disguised payments in a bid to swerve Premier League spending rules.The eight-times champions were found guilty of ‘all charges related to serious breaches’ of the regulations and the majority of those in relation to its failure to co-operate with the competition’s probe.City witnesses were also accused of lying in front of the three-person panel, in an explosive verdict that sent further shockwaves through football after news of the guilty verdicts first emerged on Friday.During press conferences across his tenure, Guardiola always said he ‘trusted’ those in charge of the club when quizzed on the charges and said he would front up to them if and when they were proven.