Guardiola breaks silence on City's financial guilt verdict

Guardiola's intervention came despite having no managerial obligation to comment, according to BBC Sport. The Spaniard, who joined City in 2016 and employed a global ambassador role for City Football Group, posted words of solidarity on social media last week.

The timing is significant given Guardiola's previous stance. Years earlier, when City faced UEFA's two-year European suspension over Financial Fair Play breaches in 2020, he vowed the club would appeal, stating the "presumption of innocence wasn't there." That ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In his first public response to financial allegations in 2019, following the FA Cup final victory over Watford, Guardiola defended himself and the club, insisting he trusted the chairman and CEO completely and that City followed the rules.

The latest guilty verdict has unsettled some observers given Guardiola's historical rhetoric on the matter. He previously claimed a guilty verdict would alter his relationship with City, though he remained selective on other controversies during his tenure, sidestepping questions about human rights in the United Arab Emirates, where key City hierarchy members are based.

City are appealing the verdict. Guardiola is expected to attend next week's Champions League fixture against Paris St-Germain, the club's first home match since the guilty verdicts announcement, according to BBC Sport.