The British newspaper "The Times" launched a scathing attack on Spaniard Pep Guardiola, the former manager of Manchester City's first football team, due to the violations and convictions that befell the English club during his tenure.
The English club was accused of failing to report accurate financial information for nine seasons spanning from 2009-10 to 2017-18, and of not providing complete details regarding the salary of former manager Roberto Mancini between 2009-10 and 2012-13.
The Premier League also announced potential sanctions against Manchester City after the charges were proven, with the penalty to be considered separately in a subsequent hearing before an independent commission.
Matthew Syed wrote a fiery article about Pep Guardiola's legacy, describing it as "tainted" and questioning whether he was aware of the violations, or if he was "short-sighted" for not noticing them, according to his description.
Pep Guardiola managed Manchester City's technical staff from 2016 until 2026, achieving numerous historic accomplishments for the Sky Blues during this period.
Pep Guardiola had published a statement via his social media accounts to support Manchester City during this crisis.
The article published by "The Times" stated: "We now know that he (Guardiola) ran a corrupt club driven by corrupt contracts and funded by corrupt companies; we can now call his era a corrupt era."
He continued: "There are two possibilities: either Pep knew, in which case he is not a visionary nor a legend but merely a fraudster, or he did not know, in which case he is the most short-sighted person around."
He added: "I am not a forensic accountant, but I have questioned Manchester City's financial arrangements for over a decade despite receiving constant insults and threats. Did Pep see nothing? Is he blind?"
The journalist concluded his attacking article by saying: "Of course, there is a third alternative, which is that he is a hypocrite."