Manchester City and Pep Guardiola parted ways in the summer but the manager will be back at the Etihad Stadium this month
Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hasn't been back to watch his old employers since leaving at the end of the 2025/26 season. Now, though, he plans to return for the first time since an independent commission found the club guilty on all charges of breaking Premier League financial rules and most charges of a failure to cooperate with the investigation.
The charges relate to the 2009-18 period, with Guardiola in the dugout for the last two of those nine years. City have already launched an appeal and continue to protest their innocence but their old boss is now set to return to the Etihad Stadium in what has been described as a show of solidarity.
The eight-time Premier League champions will have the Catalan in the stands next Wednesday for a Champions League meeting with reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain. The Mail reports that he will be joined there by board members including chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
It comes after the Catalan coach sent a clear message on social media, writing: "I want every single Man City fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano] the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."
Guardiola won one league title in the two seasons he was in charge between 2009-18, leading City to a league record 100 points in the 2017/18 campaign. He later added five more league titles and several other trophies, securing a momentous Treble in 2022/23.
City finished second behind Arsenal in his final season and he stepped down ahead of the final game of the campaign. His successor Enzo Maresca is back in Manchester after previously serving on Guardiola's coaching staff and his team sits top of the table with maximum points from five games.
The club's chief executive Ferran Soriano, who worked closely with Guardiola during the Catalan's time in charge, has already defended City in a video statement shared in September. "The whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation - that the owner's personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi," he said.
"This is just not true. Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows it could not happen and that it did not happen. This includes bank statements, money transfers, witnesses, and everything necessary to categorically demonstrate the money did not come from the owner."