When Manchester City were found guilty of deliberate financial rule-breaking across nine years, Pep Guardiola — now a global ambassador for City Football Group rather than first-team manager — took to social media to offer words of solidarity to supporters: "Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."

A long history of public statements

Guardiola's intervention surprised some observers. He departed City in the summer and carried no obligation to speak publicly on the verdict. Yet his voice has long been woven into this saga — from furious denials at post-match press conferences to measured pledges about resigning if the club were ever found guilty.

BBC Sport has compiled every significant comment Guardiola made on the subject during his time in the Etihad Stadium dugout.

Before the Premier League charges

Guardiola's first notable comments came on 18 May 2019, immediately after City's 6-0 FA Cup final victory over Watford. When Sky News journalist Rob Harris asked whether he had personally received undeclared payments — a question prompted by Football Leaks' publication of hacked data suggesting former manager Roberto Mancini had been paid in such a way — Guardiola reacted with undisguised fury.

"Did I receive money for another situation, right now, today? Honestly, do you think I deserve to have this type of question, the day we won the treble? I listen to my chairman and my CEO, and I trust them. They tell me we are fair and we absolutely follow the rules. I believe them."

He appeared to interpret the question as a personal attack on his integrity rather than a query about club finances.

On 19 February 2020, after UEFA found City guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules and issued a two-year ban from European competition, Guardiola was combative: "We appeal. When someone believes they are right, they have to fight."

That ban was overturned on 14 July 2020, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared the club of the most serious charges. Guardiola was unsparing in his response: "We were damaged. The people say we cheated and were lying — and many times. The presumption of innocence wasn't there."

Trust — and a resignation pledge

On 7 May 2022, Guardiola explained the basis of his loyalty to those running the club.

"When they are accused of something, I ask them: 'Tell me about that.' They explain and I believe them. I said to them: 'If you lie to me, the day after I am not here.'"

Crucially, he also stated he would walk away if City were found guilty — a pledge ultimately rendered moot by his summer 2024 departure, which came weeks before the verdict landed.

After the Premier League's 115 charges

The Premier League announced 115 charges against City in February 2023, and Guardiola held an extraordinarily tense press conference in response on 10 February.

"My first thought is that we are already being condemned. I am fully convinced we will be innocent. Just in case we are not innocent, we will accept what the judge decides — but what happens if we are innocent? What happens to restore our damage?"

By 23 May 2023, his frustration with the pace of proceedings was evident: "We would love the verdict tomorrow — this afternoon better than tomorrow."

On 24 November 2023, he went further, pledging to remain in charge even if City were relegated to League One: "There is more chance for me to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League." He also promised to face the media directly once a verdict was reached — a commitment he later repeated.

Final weeks before the hearing

As the legal hearing approached in August 2024, Guardiola maintained his desire for resolution: "I am happy that it starts soon and hopefully it will finish soon. We will accept the verdict, like we have always done."

In September 2024, with the hearing underway, he returned to a familiar theme — that the wider football world had prejudged City's guilt.

"Everyone is innocent until guilt is proven. It's like everyone doesn't expect us to be not just relegated — they want us to disappear off the face of the earth."

City are appealing against the guilty verdicts. Guardiola, still employed by City Football Group as a global ambassador, is expected to attend the club's UEFA Champions League fixture against Paris St-Germain — their first home match since the verdicts were announced.