“UEFA President needs to respect Us” — Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has issued a stern response to the president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, urging him to “respect the procedure” following his recent comments regarding the club’s alleged Financial Fair Play (FFP) violations.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Ceferin stated that UEFA was justified in banning Manchester City from European competitions for two years in 2020.

This assertion did not sit well with Pep Guardiola, considering that the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned UEFA’s sanctions against the club in 2020, allowing them to compete in European tournaments.

Subsequently, Manchester City secured their first UEFA Champions League title after three seasons.

Apart from UEFA’s allegations, the Premier League also accused Manchester City of violating its financial policies, a claim vehemently denied by the club. The Premier League filed charges against City for 115 infractions in February of the previous year.

Addressing Ceferin’s comments, Guardiola emphasized the need for the UEFA president to exhibit patience and uphold the proper procedures.

The manager asserted,

“As a lawyer that he is and president of UEFA, he should wait and after do whatever he wants. He has to respect it and he has to wait. He has a lot of jobs to do at UEFA. A lawyer should respect the procedure and understand we have a right to defend ourselves.”