Pep Guardiola boasted that he would remain in the team even if Manchester City fell to League One.
Manchester City will meet Liverpool in the 13th round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at 9:30 p.m. on the 25th at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. Manchester City ranks first in the league with nine wins, one draw and two losses (28 points), while Liverpool ranks second in the league with eight wins, three draws and one loss (27 points).
Ahead of the game, Guardiola attended a pre-press conference on the 24th. The biggest question at the press conference is Everton's point cut. The PL Secretariat announced the disciplinary action on the 17th, saying, "Everton's points for violating PL's profitability and sustainability rules will be immediately cut by 10 points." Everton, who were in 14th place with 14 points, were given four points due to the penalty of cutting points.
It crashed into the relegation zone in an instant. Everton are tied at the bottom of the table with Burnley. 19th place ahead of Burnley in goal difference. There is still a lot of season left, but it crashed into the relegation zone at one point, causing a big wave.
The reason for the disciplinary action is that it exceeds the amount of loss stipulated by PL.The core of the regulation is that clubs belonging to the PL must not exceed 105 million pounds (about 168.7 billion won) over three years. Unfair as it may be, Everton were disciplined for slightly exceeding the amount lost.
Manchester City is also under investigation within the PL for violating fiscal regulations. In February, the PL Secretariat officially announced on its official website, "In accordance with Premier League Regulation W.82.1, the Premier League has referred Manchester City's alleged violation of Premier League regulations to the committee in accordance with Regulation W.3.4."
Martin Ziegler, a reporter for The Times in England, said: "Man City has been charged by the Premier League with more than 100 violations of financial regulations after four years of investigation. The PL secretariat said the club had been charged with violating the rules over nine seasons."
If the charges are proven, a major disciplinary action is expected. Reporter Ziegler also said, "If the charges are proven, the scope of sanctions, such as points cuts or league exits, could be expanded." Although the situation is different, Juventus of Italy's Serie A has also been disciplined for points cuts on charges of book manipulation. Therefore, if Manchester City's charges are proven, disciplinary action can be realized.
Additionally, the PL Secretariat said, "We did not provide accurate financial information regarding revenue (including sponsorship revenue), related parties and operating costs." The PL Secretariat has indicted Manchester City for violating PL financial regulations over the past nine seasons. However, the results of the investigation have not yet been released.
In response, local reporters raised questions related to this. Guardiola was furious, saying, "You guys are asking questions like we've been punished." "Until proven guilty, we are innocent. I know what people want. I feel it. I will wait," he said. 스포츠토토
"I'm not going to worry about whether Manchester City is in the PL or in League 1. If we are in League 1, we have more opportunities to stay than when we are in the Champions League. I wouldn't say a word about Everton because I don't know what actually happened. But Everton and we are completely different cases," he added.