Pep Guardiola could have quit Man City over fears of 'big ban' and 'relegation' to Championship

Pep Guardiola could have quit Manchester City over fears they are about to be hit with a "big ban" for breaching Premier League rules.

The Premier League brought 115 charges against Man City in February 2023 and the hearing into them ended in December 2024, but a ruling is still yet to be announced.

Guardiola left at the end of the 2025-26 season, ending his time at the Etihad Stadium by adding the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup to the 18 other major honours he won.

Enzo Maresca is expected to replace him in the coming days, and the new manager may be forced to contend with the outcome of the legal war that has been waged for over three years now.

Former Aston Villa, Tottenham and Everton scout Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, has questioned whether the potential outcome could have something to do with Guardiola's decision to leave the club.

Should the Citizens be found guilty, they could be subject to a significant fine, a huge points deduction or even relegation from the Premier League.

Bryan King questions Pep Guardiola exit

Man City continue to insist upon their innocence of the charges, some of which relate to alleged breaches of the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules between 2015-16 to 2017-18.

There had been talk of a verdict this summer, but the footballing world remains suspended in anticipation for what is expected to be a defining judgement.

Speaking to Football Insider, King asked: "Why did Pep Guardiola leave? Does he know something we don't know? Are they going to get hit with a big ban? 

"Are they going to get hit with relegation or whatever? But I think him saying he's tired, you know, he wants to get away from football and all this, I'm not sure about that. I'm not sure about that. He's a football man.

"There's no two ways about that. And he's a very successful football man as a player, as a coach, no matter where he's been. Whether it's been in Spain or Germany or England, he's a winner.

"He's not an old man.  I just wonder sometimes whether he knows something that we don't know about what's going to happen to Manchester City."

Guardiola publicly backed Man City

Throughout the last three years, Guardiola has continuously publicly backed Man City in light of the charges.

Even after announcing his departure, he said: "I trust them. I spoke with them and trust how they behave and how they did. What happened, happened."

"There will be a resolution, but nobody from the staff, of the backroom staff or mainly the players and the manager was here," he added.

Should the verdict be announced in the coming months, however, there will be further questions surrounding Guardiola's timing.