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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Pep Guardiola said that he is “looking forward” to the result of the hearing into Manchester City’s charges for 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules which begins on Monday.
The hearing is related to charges for alleged breaches of the rules between 2009 and 2018.
A decision from the independent commission is expected early next year and Guardiola said that he’s happy that a process which began when the charges were announced in February 2023 is finally coming to an end.
“It starts soon and hopefully finishes soon,” Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.
“An independent panel will decide. I’m looking forward to the decision. 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.”
If City are found guilty, the punishment handed down by the independent commission could range from a fine and points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League.
But despite the severity of some of the sanctions on the table, Guardiola insists the case is not a topic of conversation between the players in the dressing room.
“We are not lawyers,” he said.
“Erling [Haaland] is not a lawyer so we didn’t talk about it. What is going to happen is with the independent panel and we will accept the sentence.”
The charges against City have come at a time when they are the dominant force in English football having won a record four Premier League titles in a row.
And Guardiola hinted that he thinks the rest of the Premier League are keen for the club to be found guilty.
“I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting,” he added.
“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.”
The charges relate to a 14-season period from 2009-10 onwards and comprise 54 counts of failing to provide accurate information, 14 counts of failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments, seven counts of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), five counts of failing to comply with UEFA regulations including financial fair play (FFP) and 35 counts of failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations from 2018 onwards.
City strongly deny all the charges, and claimed in a statement released in response to the initial charges that they have “irrefutable evidence” to support their position and “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”