Jurgen Klopp has admitted he ‘feels for Man City’ after the club were handed a two-year Champions League ban by UEFA.
City were found guilty by the European governing body of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, and have been hit by the ban and a £24.9million fine.
The defending Premier League champions are set to appeal the ban, which will come into effect from next season.
Liverpool would no doubt benefit from City’s suspension from the competition, but Klopp was nothing but remorseful when quizzed by Sky Sports.
Speaking after Liverpool’s win over Norwich, Klopp said: “It was a shock. Complete wow.
“The only thing I can say, I’m a football coach, I speak about football, and what Pep [Guardiola] and Man City did in the time I’ve been in England, is exceptional. Absolutely exceptional.
(Image: Sky Sports)
“About the rest I have no idea what happened, who did what and stuff like this.
“But I can imagine in this moment it’s really difficult for the sports people to understand. You believe the people you work with, that’s how it is, and obviously somebody sees it completely different.
“I really feel for them, to be honest, Pep and the players, but it’s the first verdict, they will appeal and we’ll see what happens then.
“But it’s obviously serious, otherwise UEFA would not have reacted like that. But the football they played was exceptional.”
(Image: REUTERS)
An investigation into City’s off-field conduct was launched by UEFA in 2019 following revelations by German publication Der Spiegel that the club had circumvented FFP rules by manipulating contracts to boost their reported income.
As a result of the investigation, UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) were pushing for City to be excluded from the Champions League for at least one season.
A hearing was then held last month, which determined City’s punishment.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
A statement from UEFA on Friday said: “The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City Football Club committed serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.
“The Adjudicatory Chamber has imposed disciplinary measures on Manchester City Football Club directing that it shall be excluded from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons (ie. the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons) and pay a fine of € 30 million.”
City announced in a statement they would be appealing the ban.
“Manchester City is disappointed but not surprised by today’s announcement by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber,” the statement read.
Before adding: “The Club has formally complained to the UEFA Disciplinary body, a complaint which was validated by a CAS ruling.
“Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. With this prejudicial process now over, the Club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity.”
