Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted his players will not deserve a bonus for their efforts at the Club World Cup this summer following an underwhelming campaign on the pitch. The Citizens are 22 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and were dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid at the round of 16 stage.
City’s season began to unravel last autumn after Rodri had been ruled out for the season after sustaining an ACL injury. The north west giants were humbled in the Premier League by Bournemouth, Brighton and Tottenham in November as their form nosedived. They were also thrashed 4-1 in the Champions League by Ruben Amorim’s Sporting during the same month before throwing away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord. And they have failed to fully recover since that sorry run of games.
City could earn up to £97million at the Club World Cup depending on how far they are able to progress, with a whopping £775m set to be handed out to the 32 clubs featuring at the tournament.
The Citizens should earn at least £40m if they progress past the group stage, with the £97m on offer as their total prize package should they win the tournament.
Guardiola was asked whether the prize pot was a ‘bonus’ when he appeared in front of the media during a press conference on Friday.
And the Spaniard hissed: “We do not deserve a bonus this season.” He added: “The money would be for the club, but the coach, the staff, the players do not deserve a bonus. Not even a watch.”
City are among the favourites to win the Club World Cup, which gets underway on Sunday, June 15.
They are one of two Premier League teams competing in the competition, with Chelsea also securing their place in the tournament after winning a previous version on the Club World in 2022.
But the Premier League sides will face competition from some of the biggest clubs in the world, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also featuring.
City have been drawn in Group G of the tournament and will get their campaign underway on Wednesday, June 18, when they take on Moroccan club Wydad AC in Philadelphia.
They will then play Al Ain from the UAE in Atlanta four days later, before ending the group stage with a showdown with Italian giants Juventus in Orlando on Thursday, June 26.
The USA is hosting all of the matches, with the final set to be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, July 13.
