Jurgen Klopp will not discuss the implications of Manchester City’s guilty verdict or revisit his rivalry with Pep Guardiola because his respect for the Spaniard is too great.
City were found guilty of 114 charges relating to financial regulations covering the period from 2009 to 2018. Klopp’s seven-year spell as Liverpool manager began in 2015 and therefore overlapped with part of the period under investigation.
The former Liverpool manager, now in charge of Germany, said he had seen the verdict but was not prepared to speculate about possible sanctions.
“I haven’t given it much thought, even though I’ve seen it of course,” Klopp said. “Should any sanctions be imposed, I naturally have nothing to do with it anyway, and that’s why I’m waiting to see how things pan out.
“But when you’re talking about legal proceedings that have been going on for so long now, I assume there will be an appeal or something like that? That will take ages again of course.
“So I’m a long way from preparing myself for it in any way and I don’t have any feelings about it.”
City, who won three Premier League titles during the period covered by the charges, deny all wrongdoing and are expected to appeal against the independent commission’s findings. The Premier League will determine any sanctions separately.
Klopp also rejected the idea of revisiting his rivalry with Pep Guardiola or the results of their title battles at Liverpool and City.
“I also know what I said about it in the past and how if there’s ever a parade, I’ll be there,” Klopp said. “But it doesn’t feel like that anymore.
“My respect for Pep Guardiola and the football played at City during the time we played against each other, in the way they played back then and how they brought football to life on the pitch – plus what an opponent they proved to be for us at the very highest level – is far too great for me to be able to say anything now.”
Klopp was speaking before Germany’s Nations League match against Serbia in Munich, his third game in charge of the national team. He confirmed that the player with the most international appearances in the squad would captain Germany, after Joshua Kimmich was released from the camp.
Klopp also indicated that Bayern Munich goalkeeper Jonas Urbig is set to make his Germany debut at the Allianz Arena, although he will not be captain.
Germany have gone four matches without a victory, while Serbia have lost their two Nations League games against the Netherlands and Greece. Klopp said Serbia’s experience would make them a difficult opponent despite their recent results.
Germany will face Greece again in Thessaloniki on 4 October to complete their Nations League fixtures for the international window.
