Man City boss Pep Guardiola slams exit rumours despite financial scandal

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola previously said that he would leave the club if he ever finds out that they had lied to him. However, amid over a hundred allegations of financial breaches, the Spaniard believes that the club is innocent until proven guilty.

Apart from the action on the pitch where the Sky Blues are fighting hard to catch Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, they are also fighting a massive legal battle. The Premier League recently released the results of a lengthy investigation, and the club has been charged with breaching a shocking number of Financial Fair Play regulations over a span of at least a decade.

If proven guilty, City could face expulsion from the Premier League, relegation, transfer bans and points deductions among other possible sanctions. The club is determined to clear its name, and Guardiola believes their legal team can untangle the mess that they currently find themselves in.

"We are lucky we live in a marvellous country that have a society where everyone is innocent until proven guilty," he said during a press conference as quoted by Manchester Evening News.

"Personally, I'm happy that we are here because like UEFA happened we have the chance to defend our position," he said, recalling the UEFA Champions League ban three years ago after the club was also found guilty of FFP violations. However, following an appeal, City somehow managed to reverse the ban.

Guardiola gave credit to the club's legal team for sorting out the issues with UEFA, and thinks the same will happen domestically. "We have good lawyers but we cannot say UEFA had bad lawyers and the Premier League, supported by 19 teams, are going to take good lawyers."

Guardiola has just renewed his contract with the reigning Premier League champions until 2025. He claims to be happy at the Etihad Stadium for now, but he is sticking to a wait and see mentality. "Just in case we are not innocent, we will accept what the judge, the Premier League decide," he said.

Last week, rumours emerged that Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are keen on signing Guardiola should he decide to leave his current post. PSG are desperate to win the Champions League, and reuniting Guardiola with former wards like Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. could be seen as a way for them to achieve that goal. However, the manager has refused to entertain any talks about his options.