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Former Manchester City midfielder Rodri has stated he continues to believe the club will establish their innocence despite being found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges brought against them.
Following an investigation spanning more than 1,000 days, City were convicted of significant financial violations covering a period between 2009 and 2018, a full year before Rodri made his move to the club from Atlético Madrid.
With City widely anticipated to lodge an appeal, Rodri drew comparisons to the 2020 case involving the club, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport reversed a two-year ban from European competition imposed by UEFA on similar grounds.
"We went through a very comparable situation back in 2020, the legal process was much the same, just with different accusers—that's the only real difference," said Rodri, who departed City for Barcelona this summer. "The club always communicated a sense of calm, insisting they had done nothing wrong and would ultimately be cleared.
"We put our faith in the club, and even after an initial guilty verdict, they were eventually declared innocent. So hopefully justice will prevail, whatever the outcome, but I trust in the club's integrity. They told us to stay relaxed, as everything had been done properly."
Rodri: Guilty Verdict Would Not Tarnish City Legacy
Rodri's entire time at City came after the period of the alleged violations, yet rival supporters have argued that the club's collective achievements were tainted by earlier misconduct, with the years preceding his arrival clearly affected by any such wrongdoing.
This leaves Rodri, a four-time Premier League title winner, confronted with suggestions that his honours were not legitimately earned—a notion the defensive midfielder was firmly unwilling to accept.
"For us as players, it feels different to how it does for you," he began. "I understand all perspectives and that this is a major story right now. But we always try to stay positive, because when you live day-to-day at that club, with all the people who poured their efforts into every success over the years—not just Pep [Guardiola] and the players, but everyone from the owners down to the staff.
"What we achieved together, no one can take that away. It wasn't bought with money, but earned through hard work, unity, and standing side by side every single day. We enjoyed tremendous success over the years, including here at Wembley.
"And I can say with certainty that it was all deserved, having lived through one of the greatest eras in English football."
With his loyalty unwavering, Rodri made clear he will keep backing the club's innocence until evidence to the contrary is presented.
"They always expressed confidence in being cleared, and we had the precedent of 2020 to look back on," he said. "We remained very composed throughout, never anxious. These days some clubs find themselves in these kinds of situations, which has become part of modern football.
"For me, everyone must abide by the rules—that's important. Until the moment they are proven to have acted wrongly, I will stand by the club. I've been there and I know how they operate. That's all I can say."