September 30, (THEWILL) – Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has urged restraint in response to bribery allegations facing his former club, Barcelona, arguing fans should wait for the full facts before reaching conclusions.
As THEWILL reported, Barcelona have been accused of making payments to a former referee official between 2001 and 2018, in return for preferential treatment during matches. The charges have cast doubt on Guardiola’s trophy-laden spell as manager between 2008 and 2012.
However, speaking ahead of Man City’s English Premier League clash away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Guardiola argued his Barcelona teams earned their success through superior performances on the pitch.
“Let the justice continue its process,” he said. “So far what I heard, I didn’t see Barcelona really, really, really pay a referee to take a benefit. I didn’t see that, I didn’t read it. I want to wait before I have an opinion.”
The Spaniard did acknowledge the seriousness of the accusations, drawing parallels with his current club’s own financial charges. Yet, he remains adamant Barcelona’s triumphs came purely from being “far better than our rivals”.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
