Former manager Pep Guardiola has come out in support of Manchester City's owners and other officials after the club was found guilty of all charges of breaking Premier League financial rules.
Guardiola has said he will be "always" behind the club.
An independent commission found that City entered into "fictitious contracts" with several commercial partners as part of a scheme to hide secret financing of more than 970 million euros, the BBC wrote on Wednesday.
The league confirmed that City had been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of financial rules from the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons, as well as all but one charge relating to failure to cooperate with the investigation.
The club continues to deny any wrongdoing, and has until October 2 to appeal the decision.
Guardiola took charge of City in July 2016, and left in the summer of this year.
"I want every Manchester City fan around the world to know that I'm here, more than ever," the Spaniard wrote on social media.
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"I am, have always been and will always be behind the club, the owners, the chairman, Ferran Sorriano, the players, the staff, the coach Enzo Maresca and you, our special fans. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all."
During Guardiola's decade in charge of Manchester City, the club won six Premier League titles, including a record four in a row. He has also won the Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups.
Shortly before leaving, Guardiola spoke about the allegations against City, in November 2024. He said he would "be here" even if the club were to leave the league.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement on Saturday that the club was still confident of proving his innocence, while chief executive Ferran Soriano told staff and players on Tuesday that "irrefutable evidence" had been "ignored" by the commission.
The club, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, said it was "disappointed and surprised" by the guilty verdict.
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Manchester City spent €1.4 billion on new players in the transfer window between the summer of 2009 and January 2018.
During this time, the club won seven trophies, having not won a major trophy since 1970.
During this period, Manchester City has bought a total of 45 players.
