MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the long-awaited hearing into Manchester City's alleged financial breaches begins on Monday.
The Premier League champion faces more than 100 charges ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English soccer. The hearing into the charges will be held by an independent commission, which will be made up of three judges appointed by a lawyer who chairs the league’s judicial panel.
City denies the charges and Guardiola said Friday that he welcomed the chance to clear the club's name. The hearing will be held behind closed doors, and a verdict is not expected until next year.
“I’m happy it’s starting on Monday. I know there will be more rumors," he told a news conference. "We’re going to see. I know what people are looking for. I know what they are expecting, I know what I read for many, many years. ... Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. So we’ll see.”
The charges, which were made in February last year, came after a four-year investigation. The alleged breaches have hung over City at a time when it has cemented its place as one of the leading clubs in world soccer — winning the Champions League for the first time in 2023 and securing an unprecedented fourth straight league title last season.
City was accused by the league of providing misleading information about its finances from 2009-18 after being bought by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in 2008. In that time City signed some of the world's leading players like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne and won three league titles — in 2012, 2014 and 2018.
Guardiola was hired in 2016 and has overseen the most successful period in the club's history, including winning the treble of the league, Champions League and FA Cup in '23. City has won the title in six of the last seven years.
The club’s exorbitant spending has provided the foundation for that unprecedented success, and prompted questions about whether anyone can halt its dominance.
The league has financial fair play rules designed to ensure clubs essentially spend what they earn from deals that are assessed for being at legitimate market value.
The charges came after an extensive investigation and the publication of leaked emails and documents, likely hacked, that were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel. The documents allegedly showed attempts to cover up the source of City's income in a bid to comply with Financial Fair Play rules operated by European soccer's governing body UEFA and the Premier League.
City was also accused of breaches relating to its alleged failure to co-operate with the investigation.
Potential punishments could include a fine, points deduction, nullification of titles or even expulsion from the England's top division, according to league rules.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola waves supporters at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester City at the London Stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola greets supporters at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between West Ham United and Manchester City at the London Stadium in London, England, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning to back up the strong pitching of Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders.
Nick Castellanos added a solo shot and Trea Turner went 3 for 5 to help the Phillies move closer to wrapping up the NL East title while delaying the Brewers’ NL Central championship celebration.
The Brewers’ magic number dropped to one with the Chicago Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics. The Phillies lowered their magic number for clinching the NL East to four, though their magic number merely to reach the postseason is down to one.
Philadelphia's victory Tuesday gave the Phillies (91-60) the tiebreaker advantage over the Brewers (87-64) as they jockey for potential playoff seeding.
“We needed a win here for sure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We'll try and win the series tomorrow, but just getting the tiebreaker over these guys I think is going to be huge coming down the stretch.”
Wheeler (16-6) allowed only four hits and one run in seven innings while striking out six and walking none. Wheeler, who lowered his ERA to 2.56, has worked at least six innings while giving up no more than two runs in each of his last nine starts.
“I just try to go six or seven every time, at least that,” Wheeler said. “If I go more, that's awesome. Try to do that, save our bullpen. It adds up over the season, where they get those innings saved in the bullpen. We need them for this stretch right now.”
Wheeler's 16 wins rank him second in the NL to Atlanta's Chris Sale, Wheeler's main competition for the Cy Young Award.
“He's the Cy Young, man," Harper said. “I said it out there. I don't think anyone in baseball is better than him at this point. I don't think anybody in the National League is, either. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy throwing down there. I thought he got robbed of it three years ago (when Wheeler finished second to Corbin Burnes). I believe he earned it this year.”
The score was tied at 1-all until Harper sent a 1-1 pitch from Frankie Montas over the wall in left-center for his 29th homer of the season. Harper’s two-run shot also scored Kyle Schwarber, who led off with an infield single.
Montas (7-11) struck out 10 batters in 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, six hits and two walks.
Philadelphia extended the lead to 4-1 in the seventh as Schwarber hit a ball that went off a leg of pitcher Aaron Ashby and headed into shallow right field for an RBI single after Edmundo Sosa's leadoff double.
Turner added a two-out RBI single in the ninth.
“They’ve got two of the best power hitters in the game and a couple of other guys who are among the top hitters in the game, so you can’t give them anything," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "You have to keep the pressure on, and we couldn’t do that.”
Castellanos led off the second inning with a 430-foot drive over the wall in left-center for his 21st homer of the season. The Phillies put runners on first and second later in the second before Montas struck out Cal Stevenson to end the inning.
The Brewers tied it in the fourth, as William Contreras singled and scored on Garrett Mitchell’s triple to right center, but the Brewers stranded Mitchell at third.
TRAINER'S ROOM
The Phillies reinstated Sosa from the 10-day injured list and optioned IF Buddy Kennedy to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In another move, the Phillies sent C Aramis Garcia outright to Lehigh Valley after he cleared waivers. Garcia had been designated for assigment Sunday.
Manager Rob Thomson said OF Austin Hays ran at full intensity Tuesday for the first time since going on the injured list with a kidney infection on Sept. 5. Thomson said the infection has gone away.
UP NEXT
RHP Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.62 ERA) pitches for the Phillies and RHP Freddy Peralta (11-8, 3.75) starts for the Brewers when this three-game series concludes Wednesday night.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper is congratulated by Nick Castellanos after hitting a two-run homr run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras hits a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber hits an RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell reacts after hitting an RBI triple during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell hits an RBI triple during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper reacts after hitting a two-run homr run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper hits a two-run homr run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
