Pep Guardiola slams 'whispering' campaign against Manchester City and warns rivals they must accept CAS ruling

Pep Guardiola has accused rivals of conducting a “whispering” campaign against Manchester City – and warned Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool to “accept” they are here to stay.

The Catalan came out firing in his first public outing since City had their two-year Champions League ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Guardiola took aim at those who have “damaged” the club’s reputation following allegations of serious breaches of Financial Fair Play - including La Liga president Javier Tebas.

He insists City are owed an apology – and dismissed complaints from Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp following Monday’s ruling.

“Jose and all the managers should know we were damaged,” he said. “We should be apologised (to) because like I said many times, if we did something wrong we will accept absolutely the decisions from Uefa and CAS.

“We don’t expect for Liverpool or Tottenham or Arsenal or Chelsea or Wolves and all the clubs to defend us. But we can defend ourselves.

“We have the right to defend ourselves when we believe what we have done is correct. It’s right. And three independent judges said this.

“So today is a good day. Yesterday was a good day for football because we played with the same rules of Financial Fair Play as all the clubs in Europe.

“But we were damaged. The people say that we were cheating, lying many, many times. The presumption of innocence was not there.”

Both Mourinho and Klopp have had their say on City’s case after their ban was quashed and a 30million euros fine reduced to 10million euros.

The Tottenham manager said: “If Man City is not guilty of it, to be punished by some million is a disgrace.

In Pictures | Brighton vs Manchester City | 11/07/2020

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“If you’re not guilty you’re not punished. In the other way, if you’re guilty you should be banned. So it’s also a disgraceful decision. In any case, it’s a disaster.”

Klopp added: “I am happy that City can play in the Champions League, but I don’t think it was a good day for football yesterday, to be honest.

“Just because I think FFP is a good idea. It’s there for protecting teams, protecting the competition.”

Guardiola now wants the slurs against City’s name to stop – but believes the traditional elite are worried by their emergence as a super power in world football.

“What this club has done in the last decade has been done on the pitch. I know that for elite clubs - especially Liverpool, United, Arsenal - it is uncomfortable us being here, but they have to understand we deserve to be with them competing with them.

“We don’t have to ask permission to be there, we deserve to be there.

“When we lose, I will shake the hand of my opponents and colleagues as we have done - sometimes unfairly in the Champions League and Premier League - and congratulate them as all the time we have done. It’s as simple as that. But guys, accept it.

“If they don’t agree, just knock on the door for our chairman or our CEO and talk. Don’t go from behind and have seven, eight, nine, clubs whispering.

“Go and do it on the pitch, not behind because for 10 years this club has made a step forward. We have invested a lot of money, like a lot of clubs, but we did the right thing. If not we would be banned and we are not banned because we followed the FFP rules.”

Tebas has been vocal in his criticism of City and now claims CAS is not suitable to judge such matters in the future.

Guardiola issued a terse response.

“He’s another one, this guy Senor Tebas must be so jealous of English football,” he added. “He’s an incredible legal expert from what I see, maybe next time I’ll ask them which court and judges we have to go to.

“He has to be worried and concerned about La Liga and focus on there, but normally with these kind of people when the sentence is good for him it is perfect - as has happened many times in Spain - but when it is against the problem is for the other ones.

“We will be in the Champions League next season, Senor Tebas, because what we did we did it properly.”

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