Pep Guardiola to stay at Manchester City despite European ban

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola promised that he will stay with the club in spite of their two-year ban from all European competitions.

City was recently punished by UEFA for committing "serious breaches" related to club licensing and financial fair play regulations.

The club allegedly overstated its Etihad sponsorships between 2012 and 2016. Consequently, they would not be permitted to appear in any of the European club tournaments for the upcoming two seasons, including the Champions League. The English side was also handed a fine of €30 million (£25 million).

There were speculations that the Spaniard, who is arguably one of the best football managers, might not stay with the club during its absence from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

However, Guardiola said that there is no reason to leave Manchester City until his contract expires in 2021.

He said, "If they sack me, that can happen, but if they don't sack me I will stay here. I want to stay, I want to help the club, if it is possible, to maintain this level as long as possible. Why should I leave? I said before, I love this club. I trust 100% completely my club what they have done because they explained to me the reasons why. We are optimistic that next season if we qualify for the Champions League, we will be there."

Manchester City denied any wrongdoings and is about to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the European football governing body's decision. City's chief executive, Ferran Soriano, repeated the club's previous statements that the accusations are "simply not true."

Guardiola also assured that the "truth will prevail" and eventually, he promised the club supporters that his men will continue fighting until the end of this season.

City is currently ranked second in the Premier League, with a whopping 22-point difference between them and the leaders Liverpool. Meanwhile, the League title defenders have already progressed to the knockout stages of this season's Champions League.

During Guardiola's four-year reign as City coach, the Champions League is the only major trophy that he couldn't win. Next week, the Sky Blues await a difficult test against Real Madrid in the round-of-16.