Pep Guardiola claims 'We want to fight to the end' to confirm Man City stay despite ban

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola addressed the media for the first time since Manchester City were hit with the two-year ban from European football. Guardiola insisted that he is confident in Man City's ability to defend itself. He hoped that the club will be playing in the Champions League next year. 

Also Read | Haven't Thought Much About Revamping The Squad In The Summer: Pep Guardiola

Man City vs West Ham: Pep Guardiola vows to fight 

Speaking to the media after Man City's 2-0 win over West Ham, Pep Guardiola admitted that the club's current predicament is unfair and the club will fight till the end.

“I trust 100% what my club have said and what they have done, they have explained to me the reasons. We are going to fight, and we are optimistic that next season, if we qualify for the Champions League, we will be there,” said Pep Guardiola.

Also Read | Man City Ban: Pep Guardiola To Stay At Man City Despite Recent Champions League Ban

Guardiola, whose contract runs until the end of the next season, confirmed that he will not be walking away from the club before that point. The Spanish manager reaffirmed his desire to see out his contract stating that he wants to fight for everyone who supports the club.

Man City ban: Pep Guardiola's response to Josep Bartomeu

Pep Guardiola also made sure he had an apt reply to Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu's taunt over City's FFP breach. The former Barcelona manager stated, "My advice would be don’t talk too loud because everybody is involved in situations." 

Also Read | Man City Ban: Pep Guardiola Won't Leave Man City Even If They Get Demoted To League Two

How did Man City cheat? Man City ban explained

While Man City have so far denied any wrongdoings, German publication Der Spiegel leaked documents that showed that the club deliberately inflated the financial values of its sponsorship deals, allowing them to spend more in the transfer market. City showed exorbitantly high annual sponsorships. However, the documents revealed that City owner Sheikh Mansour funded the major proportion of its sponsorships himself.

Man City were found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) guidelines by UEFA. The club was subsequently handed the Champions League ban and a fine of €30 million (£25 million). City announced that they'd file an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at the earliest. 

Man City vs West Ham highlights

Also Read | Pep Guardiola Rates Himself, Claims That He Is Merely A 'good' Manager