Manchester City News

Pep Guardiola has offered Manchester City his support after the independent Commission’s financial-rule findings. In a message published by the PepTeam X account on Wednesday, the former City manager told supporters: “We will get through this together. I love you all.”

Sky Sports reported the message on 30 September. Press Association’s report, published by The Irish News, also carried the post.

Pep Guardiola backs City and their supporters

Guardiola’s message expressed support for City’s owner, chairman, chief executive Ferran Soriano, players and staff. He also named Enzo Maresca and the club’s supporters. It was a show of support for his former club, rather than an announcement about the outcome of the case.

I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.

PepTeam (@PepTeam) September 30, 2026

The original PepTeam post is embedded above. If X does not load, use the dated link to read the post; the message is also reproduced in the linked news reports.

The findings and any sanction are separate

The Premier League’s statement of 29 September says the Commission upheld charges concerning serious financial-rule breaches across the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons. It also upheld three of four alleged failures to co-operate with the League’s investigation.

However, that statement does not announce a points deduction, expulsion or the removal of titles. A separate hearing will address sanctions. Guardiola’s support message changes none of those procedural distinctions.

City intend to appeal

Sky Sports reports that City continue to deny the breaches and intend to appeal the decision. The club’s position and the Commission’s findings should be reported separately; neither Guardiola’s message nor an intention to appeal establishes the final outcome.

For now, the breaking development is Pep Guardiola’s public support for City. Read our Manchester City financial-rules explainer for the findings and what happens next. This report does not claim that a punishment has been imposed or that the appeal has been decided.

Featured image: Pep Guardiola, December 2021. Photo: Steffen Prößdorf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; source crop by ArsenalGhanaPartey, further cropped to 16:9. Archival portrait, not the September 2026 message.

Manchester City financial rules are at the centre of a newly published Premier League decision. The club’s response to the independent Commission is clear: the club disputes the findings and says it will pursue the appeal avenues open to it. The Commission has found City guilty of serious financial-rule breaches across nine seasons, but it has not yet decided a sanction.

Manchester City financial rules: findings City intends to challenge

The Premier League’s statement on the Core Decision says the Commission upheld every charge concerning serious financial-rule breaches in the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons. It also upheld three of four alleged failures to co-operate with the investigation.

The League says the Manchester City financial rules case exposed sham commercial arrangements to inflate revenue and reduce costs. The Commission put the combined effect above £900 million during the period. It found that City misstated accounts and concealed its true finances from auditors and regulators. Accurate reporting would have put City above Premier League and UEFA spending limits.

However, the findings are not a points deduction, fine, relegation order or title decision. The League has announced none of those outcomes. Instead, the Commission will consider the sanction at a separate hearing. The League says that hearing will remain private until the rules permit publication of its result.

Manchester City financial rules: why City disputes the findings

City disputes the Manchester City financial rules findings. In a club statement reported by BBC Sport, it said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the opinion and maintained its innocence. It described the Commission’s opinion as unsafe, alleging material errors of law, principle and fact. The club said it would pursue the available appeal avenues and noted that the process remains ongoing.

Addressing the Manchester City financial rules findings in a video message to staff reported by ESPN on 30 September, chief executive Ferran Soriano alleged the opinion supported a Premier League “conspiracy theory”. He claimed it ignored the club’s evidence and said City’s lawyers would file an appeal. Those are Soriano’s claims, not the Commission’s findings, and the report does not confirm a formal filing.

Meanwhile, former City chairman David Bernstein criticised the club’s leadership after the Manchester City financial rules findings. In comments to talkSPORT reported by Reuters on 30 September, he said the directors, including the chief executive, should stand down or be suspended. That is Bernstein’s opinion, not an official sanction or a confirmed change to City’s board.

City has announced its intention to challenge the findings. That does not confirm a formal appeal. The Premier League says City has until Friday 2 October to exercise its right to appeal. The League aims to conclude the full process, including any appeal and the publication of further decisions, as soon as possible.

The next stage

The Manchester City financial rules case now moves from findings toward an appeal window and a separate sanction hearing. That distinction matters for City supporters. The liability findings are public, but the penalty is still unknown and the appeal window is open. Naming a specific sanction now would run ahead of this decision.

Before the decision, Ferran Soriano reportedly told club chiefs the case could continue. That earlier report is background, not the current procedural position: the League has now published the Commission’s core findings, and City says it will challenge them. We will update this report when the League or club confirms an appeal filing or sanction.

Photo: Etihad Stadium, Sarmad Yaseen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9 from the original.

BBC Sport reported on 30 September that Manchester City’s deadline to appeal is Friday, 2 October. It also reported that Premier League regulations say an appeal should conclude within 12 weeks of being filed, with a decision within 30 days of its end; that is a procedural timetable, not a confirmed date for sanctions.

Independent Football Regulator chair David Kogan said the commission’s decision “raises serious issues”, according to a Manchester Evening News report on 30 September. He said the IFR can assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives, but with proceedings between Manchester City and the Premier League still ongoing it will “await further developments”. This is a statement of the regulator’s position, not an announced sanction or ownership action against City.

Pep Guardiola offers support after the findings

On 30 September, a message on the PepTeam X account offered support to Manchester City. Guardiola said: “We will get through this together. I love you all.” Sky Sports reported the message; Press Association’s report in The Irish News also carried the original post.

I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.

PepTeam (@PepTeam) September 30, 2026

This is a support message, not a sanction or appeal ruling. The dated link and quoted text remain available if the X embed does not load.

Sarina Wiegman has called six Manchester City players into England’s squad for the World Cup qualifying play-off against Greece. Anna Moorhouse, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Laura Blindkilde Brown, Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead are all in Sarina Wiegman’s group, according to City’s official announcement on 29 September.

The six Manchester City players join a Lionesses squad facing Greece over two legs in October as they aim to move closer to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. However, winning this tie would mean reaching another play-off round, rather than securing qualification immediately.

Six Manchester City players in England’s group

Goalkeeper Moorhouse joins defenders Charles and Greenwood, midfielder Blindkilde Brown and forwards Hemp and Mead in the group. As a result, City’s representation runs through the squad from the goalkeeper position to the attack.

The Manchester City players’ call-ups confirm places in the squad, not starting roles in either game. Therefore, this report does not claim that all six will play together or that Wiegman has guaranteed anyone match minutes.

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s separate official announcement also lists those six Manchester City players in England’s full squad. United’s Maya Le Tissier and Jess Park join them in the squad.

England face Greece in October

For the Manchester City players and their England team-mates, City’s report says the first leg will take place in Heraklion on Friday 9 October, with kick-off at 5.30pm UK time. Then England host the return match at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium on Tuesday 13 October, at 7.30pm UK time.

In addition, the club describes the Greece tie as a play-off semi-final. The winners will face the winners of Slovakia’s two-legged meeting with Ukraine in a play-off final during November and December.

That makes the October games an important step in the qualifying route. Nevertheless, neither a squad announcement nor the first tie itself guarantees England a place at next summer’s tournament.

Confirmed selection, with match decisions to follow

The main news for City supporters is the number of Manchester City players involved in England’s next competitive assignment. The six call-ups give fans several players to follow across the two games.

This report does not provide an injury update, ticket availability or a predicted England line-up. Check those details against the latest announcements from the relevant organisers and teams.

For now, Moorhouse, Charles, Greenwood, Blindkilde Brown, Hemp and Mead are the Manchester City players Wiegman has selected for the Greece play-off. Their individual involvement will become clear when Wiegman announces her matchday teams.

Featured image: Manchester City Academy Stadium, July 2023. Photo: Arne Müseler / arne-mueseler.com / CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9; archival venue illustration, not England duty.

Lauren Hemp in England v Czech Republic, 11 October 2022. Photo: James Boyes / CC BY 2.0. source photo. Cropped.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano reportedly told fellow club executives that City’s dispute with the Premier League could take years to reach a final conclusion. The comments were attributed to people familiar with a private European Football Clubs board meeting in Copenhagen, not to a public statement by Soriano.

What was reported from Copenhagen

Sky Sports reported that Soriano referred to the length of the process and City’s determination to contest the case. Sky said he did not answer its questions as he left the meeting. BBC Sport, citing its own sources, also described a defiant message to other club executives and said City would appeal.

These are accounts of remarks inside a private meeting, not a published tribunal ruling or a formal announcement of the outcome. Neither outlet supplied a public written decision in these reports. The underlying proceedings remain confidential, and no sanction has been announced. Reports about a finding against City must be kept separate from what the league or the club has officially confirmed.

City says the process is ongoing

In a statement quoted by Sky, a City spokesperson said the Premier League process “remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.” Sky also quoted chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak saying the process has a long way to run and that the club remains confident of proving its innocence. City has denied wrongdoing since the Premier League brought the charges in February 2023.

The next meaningful public update will be an official statement or a published decision, rather than a second-hand account of the Copenhagen meeting. Until then, the reported exchange gives a sense of the club’s stance, not a timetable or a final result.