Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has said he will throw a party on the island of Mallorca if the Premier League strips Manchester City of its titles due to breaches of financial regulations.
Klopp’s Liverpool have finished second to Pep Guardiola and his all-conquering City side twice, first in 2018-19 and again in 2021-22.
The Premier League referred City to an independent commission in February 2023 over 115 alleged breaches of financial rules dating from 2009 to 2018. The club has always denied any wrongdoing.
In his first public appearance as Red Bull’s head of global football, Klopp was asked what his reaction would be if the commission found City guilty and stripped the league titles from their record.
“We had this discussion when I left,” Klopp said. “I haven’t spent a lot of time in Mallorca because I’m always flying around the city. But if it happened, I told everyone who wanted to (come), ‘Just book a flight to Mallorca.’ ‘I’ll buy the beer!’ We would have our own parade in my backyard.”
The German coach added that he had not followed the details of the hearing, which began in September last year, and did not know when the verdict was expected to be delivered.
Klopp was also asked about the ongoing contract sagas surrounding three of Liverpool’s key players during his tenure.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah And Virgil van Dijk are all out of contract at the end of the season, with Klopp’s replacement Arne Slot frequently asked about the trio’s future during his press conferences.
“I’m so happy that I’m not responsible for this situation and have to answer these questions every week,” Klopp joked.
“I would love for all three of them to extend their contracts. They don’t tell me what’s going on. When Virgil is 41 or 44, I’m sure he would love to play for New York…I’ll I would welcome with open arms.
Klopp said at the press conference that he hoped Salah would stay at the club, naming him as Liverpool’s greatest striker of the modern era, and also launched into a tirade about the Club World Cup of FIFA this summer.
“I think it’s unnecessary. It doesn’t help if you don’t have a summer vacation,” he said.
“Whoever wins the tournament is the worst winner ever because they have to play all summer and then the championship starts again. We have a lot of injuries in European football now.
“We have to reduce the number of matches. That means in some leagues it would be better to have 18 instead of 20. That means in other competitions you don’t add matches.”
Associated Press reporting contributed to this report.
