Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri has backed the club’s position over its financial charges, saying he will continue to believe in its innocence unless it is proven otherwise.
City have been found guilty of breaching the majority of the 115 financial rules brought against them by the Premier League. The club is expected to appeal the findings.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of Spain’s UEFA Nations League meeting with England at Wembley, Rodri said City’s players trusted the club’s repeated assurances that it had done nothing wrong.
“They always express the confidence that they never did something wrong and we believe in that,” Rodri said.
“Until the moment they are proved wrong, we will believe the club. They always tell us the confidence they have on the innocence.”
Rodri, who joined Barcelona in August, pointed to City’s previous legal battle with UEFA as part of the reason for his confidence.
City were cleared of separate financial fair play charges by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020 after initially being handed a two-year ban from European competitions by UEFA.
Rodri cites 2020 UEFA case
The former City midfielder said the earlier case gave players reason to trust the club’s position in the latest proceedings.
“We had the example of 2020 that the process was the same and at the end nothing happened,” he said.
“We have faced something similar, we had a similar judicial process. Different accusation but similar process.”
Rodri added that City had initially been found guilty in the UEFA case before ultimately being cleared.
“So, I believe in the justice system, and I believe in the innocence of the club.”
Rodri rejects talk of losing titles
City won eight trophies during the period covered by the Premier League case, including three Premier League titles, three League Cups, one Community Shield and one FA Cup.
Rodri dismissed suggestions that the club could lose some of those honours if sanctions are eventually imposed.
“What we did, they cannot take out of us,” he said.
He argued that the achievements were built through the effort and commitment of the players.
“I can tell you that everything was deserved, and I’m glad that I could live one of the best eras of English football in here.”
The Premier League case remains subject to the club’s appeal process.
