Rodri has backed Manchester City to clear the Premier League’s financial charges, saying he still believes in the club’s innocence despite reports they have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against them.
The former City midfielder was asked about the case on Friday after reports emerged that the club had been found guilty on almost all the charges. City have denied wrongdoing throughout the legal process, while a club spokesperson said “significant elements” of its case against the Premier League remain to be completed. The league has declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of the process.
Rodri, who left City for Barcelona in the summer after seven years at the club, said his faith was based partly on the experience of Uefa’s previous investigation into City.
“We have faced something similar back in 2020, we had a similar judicial process,” he said. “Different accusation but similar process.
“There as well in the first instance we were found guilty, but we believed in the club and the innocence that the club maintained and in the end we ended up acquitted. So, I believe in the justice system, and I believe in the innocence of the club.”
City were given a two-year ban from European competition by Uefa in 2020 after being found to have committed serious breaches of financial regulations. The punishment was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on appeal.
The Premier League allegations concern a period that began before Rodri joined City in 2019. During his time at the club he won four Premier League titles and the Champions League, as well as other major honours.
The possibility of sanctions in the current case has led to renewed scrutiny of City’s achievements, but Rodri rejected the idea that anything could diminish what the players had accomplished.
“For us, the players, it is a different thing than for you guys,” he said. “I can understand all kind of opinions, and it is something that now is big.
“But we always tried to think in a positive way, when you live that club daily and the people who have worked hard all these years to have all the success we had.
“Not only Pep [Guardiola] and the players but all the structure, from the owners to the guys who worked daily. What we did, they cannot take it out of us. It is something that is not paid by money, it is paid with effort, with partnership and with being shoulder to shoulder every day.
“We had a lot of success over the years and here in Wembley, so I can tell you everything was deserved and I’m glad I could live one of the best eras of English football.”
Rodri said City’s senior figures had consistently reassured the squad that the club had done nothing wrong. He also said the players had remained calm while the case was being considered.
“They always expressed the confidence that they never did something wrong, and we believe in that,” he said. “Until the moment they are proved wrong, we believe in the club. I’ve been there, I know how they work, and how they cooperate.”
