Pep Guardiola believes that Manchester City’s players and coaching staff are not deserving of any bonuses, even if they win something at the upcoming Club World Cup.
Frustrated with the season’s poor performance, Guardiola expressed his discontent with everyone at the club. He believes that no one—whether players or coaching staff—should receive any potential financial reward from the Club World Cup.
Manchester City has already been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League and the League Cup this season. They are currently 22 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
With a disappointing season, the only realistic chance of silverware remains the FA Cup. City will face Bournemouth in the fourth round on Sunday. Additionally, the team will play in the Club World Cup in June as Champions League winners for the 2022-23 season.
FIFA has announced a total prize pool of $100 million for the tournament, with the winning team set to receive up to $12.5 million. However, Guardiola is not interested in taking any share of the prize.
“We are not deserving of any bonus this season. If we win, it will go to the club. Neither the manager, coaching staff, nor players are deserving of it—not even a watch,” said Guardiola.
Currently sitting in 5th place in the Premier League, Guardiola’s focus is now on securing a Champions League spot for the club.
“You learn in both good and bad moments. Experience is often gained, and if you don’t learn from it, those mistakes will happen again,” he said. “This is good for me. I will learn a lot, and I hope the club will learn too. When I previously said that qualifying for the Champions League is a huge success, they didn’t believe me. Now they do.”
Earlier this season, Manchester City lost to Bournemouth in the league. As the FA Cup tie approaches, Guardiola remains cautious.
“They (Bournemouth) have a very specific style of play, and the type of players they have suits it well. Every team plays in a certain way, and they do it very well. Some teams play direct football, while others prefer to cross more,” he added.
