Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City with the club still waiting for a verdict in the 115-charge case. The charges relate to alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018, and Manchester City were formally charged by the Premier League in February 2023. Guardiola’s message was blunt: "I trust them."
What Guardiola said about the case
Speaking to goal.com, Guardiola said: "I trust them, I spoke with them and trust how they behave and how they did. What happened, happened. That will be the resolution. Nobody in the backroom staff was here, it was a long, long time ago and I trust them. I said before what happened and I say now."
That is the clearest line in the story. He is not distancing himself from the club’s hierarchy as the case moves toward a verdict expected after the season. Stefan Borson, Manchester City’s former financial advisor, said: "the parties themselves do expect that it will come out soon after the season ends, but they've been wrong before."
There is still no firm date, and that matters. Borson also said that every day that passes makes a decision more likely, but the sources stop short of pinning it down. Guardiola, for his part, made clear he may not be easy to catch when the verdict lands: "If you find me."
The potential punishments remain serious, with points deductions, major fines or expulsion from the top flight all listed as possible outcomes. That is why Guardiola’s public trust line cuts through the usual farewell noise. He is not pretending the case does not exist, and he is not trying to talk around it either.
Why the farewell matters now
The football backdrop is fairly solid. Manchester City are second in the Premier League after 36 matches with 77 points, and their recent form is WWDWW. So the club are ending the season strongly on the pitch while the off-field wait continues.
There is also a separate farewell day planned around Guardiola, John Stones and Bernardo Silva against Aston Villa. After the game, City will stage a post-match presentation and are asking fans to stay in their seats. The club also plan a guard of honour, pitchside interviews, Guardiola’s prepared speech and a lap of honour.
The Stones and Bernardo numbers underline how different their seasons have been. Stones has made 8 Premier League appearances, while Bernardo has made 37. Those figures do not change the mood around the farewell, but they do show why City are choosing a broad send-off rather than focusing on one player alone.
Guardiola’s line is the important one here, because it leaves no room for theatrical distance. He trusts the people around him, he is leaving with the case still unresolved, and the club now have to wait for the decision that could arrive after the season ends.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
