Guardiola defends Citi against allegations of violation of financial fair play rules

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Pep Guardiola, coach of Manchester City, defended his club and said he was "very professional and professional" in response to allegations of violation of rules relating to the Money clean.

The UAE-affiliated club said last week that it would not comment on "the information extracted from its context that may have been obtained by theft or piracy on the part of the Citi football team. or some of the employees or associates of the club ".

The club also talked about what he called attempts to tarnish his image.

Asked about the "football leaks" widely published in the media, Guardiola told reporters Tuesday before the match of the Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League that he had complete confidence in the management of the club.

"What I can say, of course, is that I rely a lot on the club, of course we want to respect the rules of the continental or international football federation, as well as the regulations of the Premier League," he said. the Spanish coach who joined Citi in 2016.

"The club management is committed to what we have to respect, believe me, I'm quite frank, I do not know what happened because I'm a coach who focuses only on what's happening on the field and in the locker room.

"Regarding this issue and how they handle this type of attitude, I am totally removed from this position, but I am part of the club and I absolutely support it.

The German newspaper Der Spiegel has obtained documents containing contracts and e-mail correspondence consulted by Reuters "in partnership with the European research consortium, international media network.

The leaks, which cover many of the events of the past decade, include unpublished details of UEFA's investigations into the financial transactions of Manchester City clubs and Paris Saint-Germain.

Under the rules of the "clean financial game" in the Continental Game Union, clubs must benefit from transparency in terms of revenue and overall balance of spending.

The charges are being brought against Manchester City, which has a number of leading sponsors in Abu Dhabi, trying to get around them.

Guardiola said people have been saying for a decade that the club "won because it had money" but that there was also a lot of work.

"Of course, Manchester City looks like a lot of clubs around the world, in that it has a lot of money, but it 's also an amazing club," he said. . "Here they work with incredible people and are very professional.

"It's an incredibly professional club and its management is trying to do the right things the right way, that's all I can say."

(Reuters)