Jurgen Klopp denies provoking Man City fans ahead of stormy Premier League clash
The Premier League champions suggested that Klopp was to blame after away fans chanted about the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters at Anfield, an accusation the Liverpool manager denied
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Jurgen Klopp has denied accusations from Manchester City that he inflamed the situation between the Premier League champions and Liverpool and said his comments were misunderstood.
The German spoke about City on Friday when he described them as the best team in the world, Pep Guardiola as the finest manager and Erling Haaland as the game’s outstanding striker but also said that Liverpool could not compete with City and two other clubs – Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle – financially.
After a stormy game on Sunday, Liverpool condemned City supporters for “vile” chants about the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters, while coins were thrown by fans of the Merseyside club at Guardiola.
Klopp condemned that after the match before City blamed him, as well as suggesting he was “borderline xenophobic” in his comments about the three state-owned clubs.
The 55-year-old chose not to address that allegation and he was adamant he was not trying to provoke anyone.
He said: “That is the life of people who speak in public. It is not the first time I am misunderstood. So I know what I thought when I said it. When someone misunderstands that or wants to misunderstand that, I cannot help that.
“I know I have to be careful and I’ve known that for years and when I don’t, I realise it from time to time. I just answer and say what I think. I will try to do it in the future. It is never my aim to blame anyone or whatever, but I say what I know about things or how I judge it how I see it. I cannot change it. Nothing that has been made of it was my intention.”
Klopp was disappointed the subsequent fallout overshadowed Liverpool’s best result of the season, adding: “All the talk goes about what I said and what I did and what people made of it. I don’t think that should be the case.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments