Man City charges: Guardiola's ‘if they lie to me’ vow resurfaces

Pep Guardiola's declaration that he would leave Manchester City if the club's hierarchy ever lied to him has returned to the spotlight after the Citizens were reportedly found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges against them.

An independent commission has reportedly ruled against City on almost every count relating to alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.

The club have maintained throughout the process that they did nothing wrong, have stressed that proceedings remain ongoing and are expected to appeal.

No sanctions have yet been determined.

Against that backdrop, comments made by some of the defining figures of City's era of domestic dominance have resurfaced, including Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho.

None is more striking than Guardiola's statement from May 2022.

The Spaniard, who left City at the end of last season after a decade in charge, explained at the time that his public defence of the club was based on the information provided to him by senior officials.

"When they are accused of something, I ask them, 'Tell me about that.' They explain and I believe them," Guardiola said.

"I said to them, 'If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and I will not be your friend any more.'"

Guardiola made trust central to his defence of Man City

Guardiola's comments originally came before the Premier League formally charged City in February 2023 and were made primarily in the context of previous UEFA allegations.

City had earlier been handed a two-year ban from European competition before that punishment was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Guardiola repeatedly backed his employers during those disputes and said that he placed "100%" faith in the explanations he received.

His position remained broadly consistent after the Premier League charges emerged, with Guardiola publicly reaffirming his trust in the club after the charges were announced in February 2023.

When asked in November 2023 whether a potential punishment could influence his future, Guardiola insisted that even relegation would not necessarily force him to leave.

"There is more chance of me staying if we are in League One than if we are in the Champions League," he said.

Those statements addressed two separate issues.

Guardiola suggested he would walk away if he discovered that senior figures had lied directly to him, but he also said that sporting punishment itself would not automatically end his commitment to the club.

The reported commission finding does not establish what Guardiola was personally told by City's hierarchy, meaning his 2022 promise cannot simply be interpreted as evidence that he was misled.

It nevertheless carries fresh significance given the scale of the reported ruling.

Guardiola is no longer City's manager, having departed at the end of last season, but his 10-year reign covered a period in which the club established themselves as the dominant force in English football.

Klopp and Mourinho also raised the question of City's titles

The potential historical consequences were particularly personal for Klopp.

His Liverpool side finished just one point behind City in both 2018-19 and 2021-22, recording 97 and 92 points respectively.

When comedian John Bishop raised the possibility in 2024 that Liverpool could eventually be awarded additional titles if City's championships were affected by the case, Klopp responded with humour.

"If you organise a bus parade, I'm in!" the German joked during his Liverpool farewell event.

There is currently no decision to remove or redistribute any Premier League titles, and the eventual sanctions remain unknown.

Mourinho has also repeatedly referenced City's case when discussing his own Premier League record.

His Manchester United team finished second behind Guardiola's City in 2017-18, prompting the Portuguese to joke in 2024 that United might eventually owe him a winner's medal and the title bonus written into his contract.

Mourinho had been considerably more direct four years earlier following City's successful appeal against their UEFA ban.

"If Manchester City are not guilty, to be punished with some millions is a disgrace," he said. "If you are guilty, you should be banned."

His exchange with Guardiola later became more personal when Mourinho argued that his own three Premier League titles had been won "fairly and cleanly" after the Spaniard pointed to his six English league championships.

All of those comments preceded the reported finding announced on Friday.

What happens to City's titles, league position or future remains unresolved while the disciplinary process continues.

But a case that has hovered over English football for years has now reached a stage where the old words of Guardiola, Klopp and Mourinho inevitably carry rather more weight.