City Xtra
·25 November 2024
City Xtra
·25 November 2024
Manchester City succumbing to Premier League relegation as a result of their 115 charges is wanted by ’75 per cent’ of clubs in the division, says Pep Guardiola.
The Premier League champions remain locked into a legal battle with the Premier League over alleged breaches of the division’s financial rules following a four-year investigation, with proceedings in front of an independent panel beginning earlier this year.
A decision and outcome on the matter is expected to land in the coming weeks, but despite Manchester City’s long-standing confidence over their innocence, it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.
One such conclusion that has been mooted in various quarters is the possibility of Manchester City being removed from the Premier League entirely, or being subject to a mammoth points deduction thus leading them towards the lower divisions of English football.
Speaking during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola admitted that whilst it does not affect him or enter his frame of mind on a daily basis, the club’s 115 charges issued by the Premier League raise a firm feeling from rivals clubs.
“I know when I come here you ask me (about the 115 charges) and I read something about the situation and I said, ‘See and wait’ and the people start to say you have to be relegated immediately, like 75 per cent of the clubs in the Premier League they want it,” he said.
“Because I know what they do behind the scenes, and this kind of stuff. But I don’t live with that. I live with the team, four defeats, what do I have to do, my energy is here,” Guardiola continued.
“Sometimes you ask me and I remember, but I don’t live thinking all the time with that. It’s the lawyers for both sides and the people are in charge. I don’t think, honestly, I don’t think it.”
Upon the charges being announced, Manchester City had immediately come out with a bullish response of their own, expressing their “surprise” at the charges given their belief in total innocence within the Etihad Stadium.
City’s response was once again to point to a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position”, while the club insisted that it would “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all”.
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