Man City FFP: Club bosses tell players they ‘won’t lose’ as the ‘trial of the century’ begins

Man City bosses have reportedly told Pep Guardiola’s players they have ‘nothing to worry about’ as the ‘trial of the century’ begins on Monday.

The Premier League champions are facing 115 charges that they broke the competition’s rules following a four-year investigation into their finances.

A long-awaited hearing into the allegations that could last up to 10 weeks is set to begin on Monday, with Man City potentially facing a hefty points deduction or even expulsion from the league if found guilty.

Guardiola claimed last week that he has no doubt Man City’s rivals are hoping the club are punished for breaching financial regulations.

Javier Tebas, the president of Spain’s LaLiga and a longtime outspoken critic of Abu Dhabi-owned City’s financial model, has claimed a number of Premier League clubs want to see sanctions imposed .

Man City manager Guardiola, who rarely sees eye to eye with Tebas, feels his fellow Spaniard could be right on this point but, with the club denying any wrongdoing, he has urged them all to be patient and await the outcome.

He said: “Maybe he’s right. For the fact that the Premier League teams want us to be sanctioned, that is for sure.

“I agree with Tebas for the first time, and hopefully the last. I am pretty sure I agree with that.

“I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting – I know it because I have read it for many years – but I’ve said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven.

“That’s why I say to Mr Tebas and the Premier League teams wait for the independent panel.

“Justice is there in modern democratic countries, so wait for the decision. It’s not much more complicated than that.

“We believe that we have not done anything wrong, so we go to an independent panel and we are going to wait.”

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And now the Daily Mail claim that Man City chiefs have ‘told their players the club would not lose the ‘trial of the century’ against the Premier League’.

Former Man City defender Aymeric Laporte has spoken to the newspaper and revealed that leading figures at the club told the players that they can “be very calm because not one rule has been broken”.

Laporte told the Daily Mail : “When I was there and the news broke, the sporting director (Txiki Begiristain) and the CEO (Ferran Soriano) came and told all the players and staff that we can all be very calm because not one rule has been broken by Man City.

“They told us everything was fine so that’s why we all think City will be fine. I don’t think there will be any issues.

“Like Pep Guardiola always says, if something wrong has been done, they will have to pay for it.”