- Unless they sack me, which can happen, I will not leave, he says
- Soriano claims City have ‘irrefutable evidence’ charges are false
Pep Guardiola, in his first press conference since being confronted with the possibility of a two-year Champions League ban for Manchester City over alleged breaches of Uefa’s financial fair play regulations, said he was confident in his club’s ability to defend its position and that he hoped they would be playing in Europe next year. Speaking after the 2-0 Premier League victory against West Ham, the City manager insisted the matter was not finished. “The club believes it is unfair so we are going to appeal and we are going to wait,” Guardiola said. “I trust 300% what my club have said and what they have done, they have explained to me the reasons. We are going to fight, and we are optimistic that next season, if we qualify for the Champions League, we will be there. ” Guardiola is under contract until the end of next season and has confirmed he will not be walking away from the club before that point. “Unless they sack me, which can happen, I will not leave,” he said. “Why should I? I love this club, I like to be here, and after we have seen the sentence we will focus on what we have to do. I want to stay to continue to help the club and maintain this level as long as possible. That’s not just because I have a contract, we want to fight to the end for the people who support this club. ” The City chief executive, Ferran Soriano, said earlier in the day that the club had “irrefutable evidence” that Uefa’s charges were false. Guardiola has not seen that evidence but he made it clear he trusts his directors implicitly. “All I can say is that I support the club and trust what the directors have told me,” he said.
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