Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lashed out at the nine clubs who voted to kick them out of the Champions League for previous Financial Fair Play(FFP) breaches, while he also name-dropped Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy as someone who has supported the Premier League’s charges against them.
City were charged with over 100 breaches of Premier League regulations earlier this week, and while they are not expected to be sentenced for sometime, they could face punishments ranging from points deductions to expulsion.
Guardiola faced the press for the first time since these charges were announced on Friday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa, and was in a defiant mood as he attempted to defended City.
When asked if he felt other English sides were the driving force behind the Premier League’s recent charges, Guardiola replied: “Yeah of course. It’s the Premier League…You should go to the chairman, the CEOs, Daniel Levy, and ask them.”
Back in 2020, City were handed a two-year ban from the Champions League by UEFA for FFP breaches, though the punishment was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Guardiola cycled back to those charges and pointed to the fact that nine Premier League sides were in favour of this decision in part because it would further their own European ambitions.
“Nine teams: Burnley, Wolves, Leicester, Newcastle, Spurs, Arsenal, [Manchester] United, Liverpool, Chelsea [wanted] us out of the Champions League, because they want that position. To take that position that we won on the pitch,” he added.
