Rodri has broken his silence on the verdict of Manchester City's 115 charges, standing by his former club who received a terrible outcome on Friday afternoon
Rodri speaks to the media
Rodri has spoken about Manchester City's case(Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
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Rodri has claimed that he believes in "the innocence of the club" after Manchester City received a guilty verdict on 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules on Friday. The club has had a three-year wait to learn their fate, having been slapped with allegations of 115 cases of rule-breaking.
And now, reports suggest that the club have been found guilty by an independent panel on all but one of their charges. Rodri, who represented City succesffuly between 2019 and 2026, has now backed his former club after the earthshattering news.
As per BeanymanSports, the Spaniard said: "I believe in the justice system and I believe in the innocence of the club," highlighting how he feels his club have not infracted rules. When asked if he believes that because the club have consistently plead their innocence, Rodri added: "No, they always tell us the confidence they have on the innocence.
"When you look into someone's eyes and talking that way...And we had the example in 2020 and the process was the same, and in the end, nothing happened.
"We were very calm in this way. You never saw the team nervous about these kinds of things.
"Nowadays, I'm not going to say it's going to stay normal, but many teams - or some teams - go through these kind of situations and it's part of football today.
"And everyone has to follow the rules, and for me, that's great. I always praise the confidence that they never did something wrong, and we believe in that.
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"The moment they prove wrong, we will believe the club. I've been there and I know how they work and how they co-operate, so that's what I can tell you."
The Spanish national team's press officer then brough the conference to a close, with Rodri explaining: "He's the boss," before leaving his chair and the room. It comes as City released their own statement in the aftermath of the news dropping that they had been found guilty.
A spokesperson for the club said: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the Club’s statement of February 2023.
"The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence."
Manchester City are expected to appeal the verdict, although it could be a lengthy wait until the club learn the independent panel's final decision.