Pep Guardiola recalls nine Prem teams who tried to get Man City banned for transfer spree

Manchester City had a two-year ban overturned in 2020 despite being found in breach of Financial Fair Play rules and regardless of a letter sent by nine Premier League clubs calling for them to be punished

Pep Guardiola insists Chelsea’s extraordinary £323million January transfer spree is “none of my business” as he recalled nine Premier League teams attempting to get Manchester City banned for their own frivolous spending.

City were hit with a two-year ban from European competition in February 2020 after being found by UEFA to have breached Financial Fair Play rules following the emergence of leaked documents obtained by German newspaper Der Spiegel, which claimed to show how the club’s owners had used false sponsorship agreements to boost their revenue on their accounts.

However, City’s ban was overturned after an appeal was lodged to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who deemed there “insufficient evidence” for UEFA to uphold their original punishment. City instead had their fine reduced from £26.9m to £9m, though CAS did determine the club had obstructed UEFA’s investigation.