Pep Guardiola breaks silence after Man City verdict with clear message

Pep Guardiola has spoken publicly for the first time since former club Manchester City were found guilty of the majority of their 115 Premier League charges.The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that an independent commission had found City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the top-flight’s financial rules over a nine-season period between 2009/10 and 2018/19, plus the majority of charges in relation to their failure to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation.City deny all the charges against them and have confirmed their intention to appeal, having released a statement expressing their “disappointment and surprise” at what they called the commission’s “opinion” as they insisted they are “innocent of the accusations”.Guardiola - who was City’s first-team manager between 2016-26 before stepping down at the end of last season - has now sent his backing to the club in a statement released on social media.“I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever,” Guardiola wrote on Instagram.“I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman [Khaldoon Al Mubarak], (CEO) Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, (manager) Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters.“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”There is no suggestion that Guardiola was aware of any wrongdoing during his time in charge at City.