Rodri believes in Man City's 'innocence'

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rodri (right) made 298 appearances for Manchester City between 2018 and 2026

Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri believes the club are innocent of any financial wrongdoing and will continue to trust them unless they are proved otherwise.

City have been found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching by the Premier League, although they are set to appeal.

Speaking at a news conference before Spain's Uefa Nations League match against England at Wembley the 30-year-old, who joined Barcelona in August, backed City's stance.

"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."

City were cleared of separate financial fair play charges by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020, having initially been given a two-year ban from European competitions by Uefa.

Rodri cited the case as a reason for the confidence of the club's players.

"We had the example of 2020 that the process was the same and at the end nothing happened," he explained.

"We have faced something similar, we had a similar judicial process. 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."

The club won eight trophies in the period covered by the Premier League case, including three league titles, three League Cups, one Community Shield and one FA Cup.

Rodri dismissed talk of City being stripped of some of the titles they won as part of any punishment against the club.

"What we did, they cannot take out of us," he added.

"It's something that is not paid by money. It's paid with effort, with the damage, with, you know, being shoulder to shoulder every day.

"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."

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'What we did, they cannot take from us'

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged people to "study" the independent commission's report in "some considerable detail before reaching any conclusions" on the charges facing Manchester City.

"I would have to look at the report of the independent commission, and people shouldn't jump to those kinds of conclusions," Burnham told ITV Granada.

"I know this has been a long process between the club and the Premier League. I think it has been quite a contested process.

"So I don't think it's as simple as jumping to conclusions. I think we would all need to study the independent commission's report in some considerable detail before reaching any conclusions."

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