Jurgen Klopp says he is not preparing to receive any retrospective winners’ medals after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of the vast majority of 115 Premier League charges.
The charges, brought in 2023, concern alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. The commission found that the breaches amounted to around £900m.
Manchester City won three Premier League titles during that period. They then claimed the 2018-19 title – their fourth overall and second under Pep Guardiola – by finishing one point ahead of Klopp’s Liverpool.
That result began a closely fought rivalry between the two clubs. Liverpool won the Premier League in 2020 and finished just behind City again in 2022, when Guardiola’s side secured the title.
The commission will decide on possible sanctions at a later hearing. Among the potential punishments is the removal of titles, leading to suggestions that Liverpool could eventually be recognised as champions for one of the seasons won by City.
However, Klopp said he had not considered the possibility in detail and was not expecting any immediate outcome from the case.
“I haven’t given it much thought, even though I’ve seen it of course,” said the Germany boss.
“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.”
Manchester City deny the allegations and are expected to appeal against the verdict. The club’s next Premier League fixture is against Liverpool at Anfield on October 11.
