The commission ruled that City had used “sham” commercial agreements between 2009-10 and 2017-18 as part of a scheme that artificially inflated revenues and reduced costs by more than £900m. The Premier League also found the club guilty of the majority of charges relating to its cooperation with the investigation.

City deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal the findings before the 2 October deadline. Guardiola, who left his position as manager last summer after a decade at the club, made clear that his departure had not weakened his allegiance.

“I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever,” he wrote on social media.

“I am, always have been, always will be, behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran [Soriano], the players, staff, [manager] Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters.

“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”

Guardiola won six Premier League titles during his tenure, including four consecutive championships, as well as the Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups. He had previously insisted that he would remain with City even if the club were relegated as a consequence of the charges.

Former City defender Micah Richards offered a more conflicted reaction, describing the findings as devastating while acknowledging that the club maintains a different version of events.

“I feel saddened, I feel angry, I feel a little bit confused because, on the other side, you have City’s side of the story,” Richards said.

Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, focused on the impact on players from the period under investigation, arguing that their achievements could become overshadowed by the verdict.

“I feel for the players,” Carragher said. “They’ll almost feel like a lot of their career is going to have an asterisk.”

City’s sanctions have yet to be determined, leaving the appeal and its potential consequences as the next stage of a dispute that has already lasted several years.