Klopp dismisses prospect of Liverpool being awarded retrospective Premier League titles

Jurgen Klopp says he is not prepared to celebrate any retrospective Premier League titles for Liverpool if Manchester City are punished after being found guilty of financial rule breaches.

The Premier League announced that Manchester City were guilty of all charges relating to serious financial violations over a period of nine seasons. The club were also found guilty of most of the allegations concerning a failure to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between 2009 and 2018.

Klopp, now Germany manager, was asked at a news conference before Thursday’s meeting with Serbia whether the outcome could lead to Liverpool receiving another league title.

“I’m very far from being ready to celebrate a title or anything like that,” Klopp said.

“I’m completely satisfied with what I achieved with Liverpool.”

The German added that Liverpool had given everything in their attempts to win on the pitch but said he could not comment further because he did not know the full details of the case.

“We fought with all our strength on the pitch,” he said. “I cannot say more about this because I do not know the details.”

Klopp also praised Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and the quality of the club’s football, while making clear that any possible retrospective decision was outside his control.

“I can only wait and see what happens,” he said. “I have huge respect for Pep Guardiola and the way Manchester City play. They played wonderful football and were a top-class competitor for us.”

He added: “If any punishments are imposed, it has nothing to do with me. I will wait and see what happens.”

Manchester City have the right to appeal the findings of the independent commission. The club has until Friday, 2 October to exercise that right, while the Premier League board intends to complete the process as quickly as possible.

Klopp’s immediate focus is Germany’s third Group B fixture in the Nations League, against Serbia on Thursday.

Germany drew 1-1 with the Netherlands in their opening match before losing 1-0 to Greece in their second game.

The comments came as Klopp was questioned about a possible new title linked to the Premier League’s case against Manchester City. He did not claim that Liverpool should be awarded anything and instead repeated that he was content with what the club achieved during his time in charge.

His position was that the outcome should be allowed to take its course through the relevant process. Until Manchester City’s opportunity to appeal has passed and the case has been completed, Klopp said he would not treat any retrospective honours as something to celebrate.