Klopp softens on Liverpool 'parade' talk after Man City found guilty of financial charges

Jurgen Klopp has adopted a noticeably softer tone on the prospect of Liverpool being awarded Premier League titles stripped from Manchester City, telling reporters at a press conference on Wednesday that he no longer feels the urge to celebrate despite City being found guilty of all serious financial charges brought against them by the Premier League.

The independent commission’s verdict, published on Tuesday, found City guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations across the period 2009–18 — years in which the club built the squad that came to dominate English football, often at Liverpool’s direct expense. Klopp, now Germany’s head coach, was asked to respond at a media briefing ahead of Germany’s international against Serbia in Munich on Thursday.

“I know I once said something that I’d come if there was ever a parade, but it doesn’t feel like that now,” Klopp said. “I don’t feel like I need to have my bus parade. I can wait and stay totally relaxed.”

The remarks represent a clear shift from his comments in January 2025, when Klopp — then working as head of global soccer at Red Bull — was more light-hearted about the scenario. “If it would happen, I told all the people who wanted to, ‘Just book a flight to Mallorca. I will buy the beer!’ We’d have our own parade in my garden,” he had said at the time.

Klopp also made clear that his admiration for Pep Guardiola, who managed City from 2016 until leaving the club this summer, remained intact. “My respect for Pep Guardiola and the football that City played in the time when we played against each other, what they played on the field, the opponents they were at the top level, is much too high for me to say anything now,” he said. “If there are some punishments handed down, then it’s obviously not anything to do with me so I’ll just wait. I’m completely OK about what happened and what we achieved.”

Klopp won the Premier League once during his time at Anfield, claiming the title in the 2019–20 season. His Liverpool side finished runner-up to City by a single point in both 2018–19 and 2021–22 — two of the most competitive title races in the division’s history — meaning any sanctions that result in points deductions or title reallocations could directly affect his legacy at the club.

No punishments have yet been handed down, with that stage of proceedings still to come. Klopp’s immediate focus is on Germany, where he faces the prospect of becoming the first manager to lose his opening three games in charge of the men’s national team if results do not improve against Serbia.