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Pep Guardiola: "We are innocent until it is proven"

Pep Guardiola:
© Reuters
A future ban from the Champions League is one possible sanction the Premier League champions could face from UEFA.

Pep Guardiola said he would accept any punishment UEFA may hand down to Manchester City for alleged breaches of financial fair play regulations but reiterated his trust in the club's hierarchy.

A future ban from the Champions League is one of a number of possible punishments after UEFA's club financial control body chief investigator referred City to the European governing body's adjudicatory chamber over the matter on Thursday.

The newly-crowned Premier League champions issued a statement to say they were "disappointed, but regrettably not surprised" by the news and Guardiola on Friday said the club was innocent until proven otherwise.

"I have said many times I trust the club, the people," Guardiola said on the eve of the FA Cup final against Watford.

"I'm sorry. If we did something wrong, and UEFA decide we did something wrong we will be banned or we will be punished.

"Right now I know the people are waiting for us to be guilty but we are innocent until it is proven.

"I spoke with the chairman, with the CEO, I know exactly what happened, exactly what they did and I trust a lot of them. That's all."

City's title celebrations, and the build-up to Saturday's final, have also been overshadowed by the emergence of a video which appears to show players singing a song about Liverpool fans being "battered in the street".

Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester City – Premier League – AMEX Stadium
Manchester City's title celebrations have been overshadowed by events off the pitch this season (Nick Potts/PA)

But Guardiola denied that was accurate and said no offence was intended.

"It was not what people say," Guardiola said. "If you could imagine just for one second that we could offend about what this tragedy is about, all the Liverpool people.

"We are happy for ourselves. If someone was offended, I'm sorry, I apologise. We celebrated for ourselves and how happy we were to win this Premier League against an incredible contender."

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


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