Guardiola declines to comment on Tebas complaint about City's finances

MANCHESTER, England : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola declined to answer questions on Friday about a complaint made to the European Commission by the head of Spain's La Liga accusing the Premier League champions of breaching financial rules.

Guardiola was asked repeatedly about comments from La Liga President Javier Tebas as the City boss addressed the media on Friday ahead of this weekend's FA Cup 5th round match at home to second-tier Plymouth Argyle and three times answered: "Next."

Tebas, who has been critical of City in the past, said on Thursday that he had filed a complaint in 2023 accusing the club of causing a "serious distortion in the internal market of the European Union."

Tebas said he believes Abu Dhabi-owned City have hidden costs using outside companies to perform services.

"You can't help but think this is to skirt the rules," Tebas told a news conference at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in London.

"So we have denounced it to the European Union because even though this is an English club, the European Union oversees any commercial activity inside Europe."

Guardiola, whose club are also awaiting a verdict on charges of 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules, was asked why City are a target for complaints like those from Tebas.

"I don't know," he said. "It happened in the past with UEFA and in a few weeks it'll happen in the Premier League, the sentence (for the 115 charges), right? We wait, and after we talk."

City declined to comment on Tebas's remarks but have always denied any wrongdoing.

GIANT KILLERS

While Plymouth are ranked 38 places below City in England's football pyramid, Guardiola is not taking the south-coast team lightly. They upset visiting Premier League leaders Liverpool 1-0 in the fourth round in a classic FA Cup giant-killing.

"(Plymouth) is not unknown, if you are able to beat the best team in the country this season Liverpool," Guardiola said.

"These types of games we know they are tricky because these types of teams, what they do, they do really well," he added.

"When they can apply it and do better (at it) than we want to do then you are in trouble."

Centre-back Vitor Reis could feature in Saturday's game, Guardiola said, after the Brazilian made his City debut in their 2-1 win at third-tier Leyton Orient in the FA Cup fourth round.

"He is young, came from Brazil, but an incredibly focused central defender," Guardiola said.

"Some have physicality, others are clever, and he is one of those. He came for a long time, not a short period. We are pleased with the potential he has."

Guardiola is hopeful Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb, who has been sidelined since August with a leg fracture, will feature in a game soon.

"He is getting better, training yesterday and today as well," the manager said. "It has been longer than we expected, but hopefully he can finish and help us in the last part of the season.

"We want to help him desperately. It' been a tough period for him but always there is light at the end of the tunnel, this is life and especially in sport."