Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League has been threatening to fall in on itself this season both on and off the pitch.
While Pep Guardiola’s side struggle for form in the league and sit five points behind leaders Liverpool, they find themselves embroiled in legal drama away from the action. City were charged with allegedly breaking 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules over a period between 2009 and 2018, in February 2023.
The hearing into these charges only began in September and is expected to end in November. Throughout the process, City have insisted they are innocent and have ‘irrefutable evidence’ to clear their names.
Premier League rivals meanwhile have their doubts. It is understood Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool have all reserved the right to press for compensation should City be found guilty which is less than a glowing endorsement for the club in their battle with the top flight.
While a verdict on the charges is not expected until early next year, it is perhaps a measure of Guardiola’s confidence in their innocence that he is set to agree a new deal. The Athletic reports the Catalonian has agreed a new one-year contract with the option to extend this by a further 12 months.
Guardiola has always said that if City were to be relegated to League Two or even non-league in the wake of a guilty verdict he would be more likely to extend his contract. And while that is perhaps a noble thing to say, it is probably impossible to stick to.
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City could be demoted to the lower reaches of English football if found guilty and, should that happen, they would have to cut their cloth accordingly which would undoubtedly include getting big salaries off the wage bill. Unless Guardiola was willing to work for a smidge of his current deal, he would have been asked to leave.
His decision to stay with City suggests this hypothetical scenario is unlikely and Guardiola is confident that the club will be found either not guilty or at the most slapped with a heavy fine rather than demotion. For the remainder of the Premier League, this new deal for Guardiola is a signal of intent and could continue their vice-like grip on the title.
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