MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola has said he wants UEFA’s investigation into Manchester City concluded as soon as possible and has backed the club’s handling of the situation.
The European football governing body announced on Thursday that they had launched an official investigation after allegations made in German publication Der Spiegel, purportedly obtained by whistleblowers Football Leaks, that City had circumvented financial fair play (FFP) rules by inflating sponsorship deals.
In a statement, City said they welcomed the investigation “as an opportunity to bring to an end the speculation resulting from the illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails.”
And, speaking ahead of City’s Premier League clash with Watford on Saturday, Guardiola said he hope the matter would soon be resolved.
“The club made a statement, so I can’t add more than that,” he told a news conference. “The club are open.
“Hopefully it can finish as soon as possible. I trust a lot what the cub has done, because I know them and hopefully they can solve it as soon as possible.”
Guardiola, who won the Premier League last season and defended his Carabao Cup title in February, said he has no concerns his achievements at City would be tainted by the allegations.
“No, absolutely not,” he said.
Meanwhile, Guardiola has confirmed that Fernandinho, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Benjamin Mendy will miss the game against Watford, while Aymeric Laporte is a doubt despite returning to raining on Wednesday.
“All of them are getting better,” he said. “Aymeric is back training the last two or three days. I don’t know if he is available for tomorrow.
“Kevin and Stones are not fit but the others are OK.”