Reactions are strong after Manchester City was accused of financial fraud.
Several rivals in the Premier League want the club to be sacked if they are found guilty.
As British media recalls, coach Pep Guardiola said: “I will leave if the club lies.”
It is an elaborate and deliberate deception that Manchester City has been accused of in an independent investigation commissioned by the Premier League.
Breaking more than 100 money rules over nine seasons means not competing on the same terms as the competition.
Many British media remember what Pep Guardiola answered earlier about the financial situation at the club.
– I told them: if you lie to me, I will not be here the next day. I’m gone and I’m not your friend anymore. “I put my faith in you because I believed in you 100 per cent from day one and I defend the club for that reason,” said Pep Guardiola.
‘The right thing for the masses’
The remarks came after UEFA banned and fined the club for breaching financial rules, lifted the ban and reduced the fine on appeal.
I want to represent a club that does things the right way. “At the end of the day it’s not about winning the Champions League or the Premier League, it’s always about doing the right thing for our people and our fans,” said Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City faces penalties such as expulsion, deduction of points and fines.
Competitors are angry
The Sun reports that several Premier League clubs want Manchester City to be relegated if he is found guilty.
“If these allegations are proven, there must be an appropriate sanction, and the only thing appropriate for them is for them to be relegated,” says one of the club’s directors.
Another club executive said: “We are talking about a decade of alleged breaches and we want the Premier League to do the only right thing.”
Big sums
It will be about 30 charges involving 115 violations.
That the financial violations occurred between the seasons 2009/2010 to 2017/2018.
Manchester City has been accused of concealing millions of pounds in revenue.
The further investigation is expected to take several months and is not expected to be completed before the end of the season.