‘More than ever I want to stay’ - Pep Guardiola reaffirms commitment to Man City

Pep Guardiola has said his commitment to Manchester City has never been stronger following the financial allegations made against the club this week.

The Premier League alleged on Monday that City have breached over 100 financial rules and a committee will be formed to determine the outcome. In the meantime, Pep Guardiola faced the press on Friday ahead of the weekend clash with Aston Villa, and said the club had ‘already been sentenced’ while claiming the other 19 top-flight sides had pushed for the champions to be punished.

Guardiola also said he is convinced City are innocent of the charges and reaffirmed he has no plans to leave the club following the latest wave of allegations.

“Hopefully the reason they are going to sack me is the results,” the 52-year-old joked. “It is the reason managers leave their position or stay in the position. And I think in that situation we will decide together because of the confidence and trust that we have in each other.

“But I am not moving from this seat. I can assure you, more than ever that I want to stay. Sometimes I have doubts, seven years already is a long time in any country. Now I don’t want to move. Not because people say they lied to you Pep. They didn’t lie to me.

“Look what happened with Uefa. I said to them ‘what happened?’. ‘Pep, we did nothing wrong’. We proved it. It is the same case. Why should I not trust my people? Why should I trust the CEOs or the owners of the 19 clubs, the nine clubs like it was with Uefa?

“No, I trust my people. Between them and my people, I trust my people. Not one second for the other ones.

“The future is lunchtime after this marvellous press conference,” he added. “Aston Villa and after Arsenal [next Wednesday] and the Champions League is around the corner. This is the future I would say.

“What is going to happen we cannot control it and what the players have to do is defend this club as well as possible and what they have done in the last 10, 12 years.”