Klopp walks back title celebration talk after Man City guilty verdict

Jurgen Klopp has distanced himself from calls to strip Manchester City of Premier League titles, saying he is ‘absolutely fine’ with what he achieved at Liverpool and has no interest in retrospective awards — a notable shift from comments he made as recently as January 2025.

Speaking at a Germany press conference, the former Liverpool manager said: “I have big respect for Pep Guardiola and City’s style of football; they played fantastic football and were a top class opponent for us. I’m far from preparing for a title or anything like that.”

The remarks come after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them relating to financial rule breaches over a nine-year period. City have maintained their innocence and confirmed they will appeal the verdict. Potential sanctions under consideration include relegation, points deductions, and fines, with some observers also calling for title stripping.

Klopp’s current tone stands in contrast to his position from January 2025, when he vowed to celebrate if Liverpool were retroactively awarded titles, and to an earlier quip about joining an open-top bus parade. On Thursday he acknowledged those earlier comments directly: “We had this discussion when I left. But if it would happen, I told all the people who wanted to come: ‘Just book a flight to Mallorca. I will buy the beer!’ We’d have our own parade in my garden.”

Despite revisiting the joke, Klopp was careful to add that he does not know the details of the case and is not seeking to involve himself in the outcome. “If any sanctions are handed out, I have nothing to do with it; I’ll wait and see,” he said. “I can’t say more about that because I don’t know the details and I’m not interested in them.”

Liverpool finished as runners-up to City on three occasions during Klopp’s tenure, though only one of those title races falls within the period covered by the charges.

Meanwhile, former City manager Pep Guardiola also broke his silence on the verdict, posting a message of solidarity on social media. “I want every single Man City fan to know I am here; more than ever,” Guardiola wrote. “Let me be clear: we will get through this together.”