Frauds and trials are dark spots in the biography of a great manager

Manchester City is in big trouble. For the second time in three years, the club came under serious accusations (then it was UEFA, now it is the Premier League). Again, the matter is financial fraud, but now, apparently, it will not be easy to get off. Many fans are currently discussing the possible removal of points from the team and the deprivation of its trophies. However, not enough attention in this story is given to the primary victim. It's about Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola has every right to leave. He warned

"Why did I defend the club and management? Because I work with them. When they are accused, I ask them to tell me the details. They explain, and I believe them. I told them, "If you lie to me, I won't be at the club the next day. I'll walk away and never be your friend. I believe in you because I have trusted you 100% from day one, and I protect the club for the same reason."

When a sponsor comes to City, everyone talks about overpaying. Other clubs receive money from the USA, and everything is considered fair, even if the amounts are higher. We have to live in this reality and fight. I am always on the side of our club; there can be no doubt about that."

The quote above is from Guardiola. In May 2022, a journalist asked Pep at a press conference about his behavior in the history of the UEFA investigation, and the coach made it clear that he trusted City management. But he will slam the door if he realizes that he was deceived and there were violations.

Against the backdrop of recent events, Guardiola has every right to play ahead of the curve and leave City. More than 100 accusations from the Premier League are already grave, especially since there is no statute of limitations, as in the UEFA regulations, in England. So the trick with which the lawyers got the club off the hook three years ago will no longer work.

ManCity set up Guardiola brutally. Frauds and trials are a dark spot in the biography of the great manager

No one will argue with the fact that Guardiola is great. Many even consider it the best in history. Controversial but not absurd. Now you and I do not feel how much the current situation affects Pep: for us, this is still the same specialist who worked wonders in Barcelona, was wiser in Bayern, and conquered England with City. But such an episode will affect the biography of Guardiola. And okay, if he was alone, the showdown with UEFA ended in the club's victory. However, the second accusations from another organization are no longer an accident.

Guardiola made history at City. When Pep went to England, there was a prevalent opinion that he would fail. Like, the Premier League is not Spain for you, and there are much more top teams than in Germany. But Guardiola's City rolled through the league in their second season and won four championships in less than seven years. This is the cosmic level.

Now imagine that all the achievements of Pep in England in the future will be reduced to this thesis: "Well, yes, they played cool, but everything was dishonest there." City management is to blame for this - not Guardiola, who did his job at the highest level and did not deceive anyone. It is customary to dislike the club because of sudden wealth, and, significantly, there are many fans who, despite their hostility towards the sheiks, empathize personally with Pep.

By the way, unlike us, Guardiola has already realized the scale of the tragedy. In the first training session since the Premier League announcement, Pep looked stricken, and a City source is circulating on social media that the manager was in tears following the news.

No matter how pathetic it may sound, Guardiola is more significant than City, but the dirt falling on the club's brand has also touched him. Cloudy financial stories and showdowns in court will leave a vast dark spot on the career of a great coach. In this regard, City brutally framed Pep. And it certainly shattered his confidence.

Update: At a press conference on February 10, Guardiola stated: "I will not move anywhere from this place, I can guarantee you that. I want to stay more than ever. After years in the Premier League, I don't want to leave."

Judging by the categorical wording, Pep still believes in City. But we have yet to know if his opinion will change due to the new investigation.

10.02.2023