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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted he believes the club will once again prove their innocence in the wake of the financial charges against them.
City have been accused of breaching the Premier League's financial rules over 100 times across the past 15 years, and the evidence has been submitted to an independent panel to rule on whether City are guilty or not.
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It's similar to their charge from UEFA in 2020, in which City were banned from the Champions League for two years before CAS intervened to overturn the ban.
Pep in staunch defence of Man City
Ahead of City's meeting with Aston Villa on Sunday, Guardiola insisted his side have already been branded guilty but voiced his confidence that City will once again prove their innocence.
"My first thought is we have already been condemned," Guardiola said. "What happened is the same as what happened with UEFA, when we had accusations. The club proved we were completely innocent, why should we think now, when there are just charges? You know what side I am on.
"We are lucky we live in a country where everyone is innocent until proven guilty. It seems like we have already been sentenced. What is going to happen, I don't know. We think we have good lawyers and I we are going to defend our position. Time will decide what happens. We will see what a judge, the Premier League decides. In the same way with UEFA, we are innocent.
"The club, they talk to all of us. But we have trained like normal to get ready for Aston Villa. The last seven years have been for us, our fans and our people. The court will dictate what happens. I am fully convinced that we will be innocent.
Backstory to Guardiola's comments
The Premier League charged Manchester City for breaking their FFP rules around 100 times in a nine-year period between 2009/10 and 2017/18.
City are alleged to have provided the Premier League with inaccurate financial information, while they did not disclose the financial remuneration of their managers over a four-year period.
Guardiola has now delivered a passionate defence of Man City in what is sure to be a protracted legal battle with the Premier League.
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