By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has broken his silence on Manchester City’s financial-rule case, saying he is content with what he achieved at Anfield and is not waiting for additional Premier League titles to be awarded retrospectively.

Klopp was asked about the situation during a press conference ahead of Germany’s Nations League meeting with Serbia. His comments came shortly after an independent Premier League commission found Manchester City guilty of serious financial breaches covering several seasons.

The Premier League said the commission found City guilty of charges relating to financial reporting, sponsorship arrangements, spending limits and cooperation with the league’s investigation. The findings cover the period from the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons. City has the right to appeal the decision, while the eventual sporting sanction is yet to be determined.

Klopp, who spent nine years managing Liverpool, was one of Manchester City’s main rivals during the period in question. His Liverpool side finished behind City in several closely contested Premier League title races, including the 2018-19 and 2021-22 campaigns.

The possibility of City being stripped of titles has consequently led to speculation about whether Liverpool could benefit from any retrospective changes to the league records.

However, Klopp played down the idea that he needs additional titles to strengthen his achievements with Liverpool.

“I’m absolutely fine with what we’ve achieved in Liverpool. We fought hard on the pitch,” Klopp said when discussing the possibility of retrospective changes to the records.

The German also said he had heard about the Manchester City case but had not spent much time thinking about it.

“Of course I’ve heard about that, but I haven’t given it much thought. I can only wait and see,” he said.

Klopp also maintained his respect for former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and the football produced by City’s teams during their rivalry with Liverpool.

He said his respect for Guardiola and City’s style of play remained strong, describing them as a top-level opponent for Liverpool during his time in England.

The comments underline Klopp’s view that Liverpool’s achievements should be considered in the context of what happened on the pitch rather than hypothetical changes to historical records.

During Klopp’s tenure, Liverpool won the Premier League title in the 2019-20 season, ending the club’s 30-year wait for the English championship. The team also won the Champions League in 2019, alongside several other major trophies.

Manchester City’s case, meanwhile, is not yet completely concluded. The Premier League has confirmed that the commission’s findings establish the breaches, but the separate process for determining sanctions remains ongoing. City also has until October 2, 2026, to appeal the commission’s findings.

Klopp has indicated that he will leave those proceedings to the relevant authorities rather than become involved in the debate over Liverpool potentially receiving additional honours.

“I don’t know the details [of the financial breaches] and I’m not interested in them,” he said.

With his attention now directed toward his responsibilities with the German national team, Klopp appears keen to focus on his current role rather than revisit the fiercely contested Premier League battles of his Liverpool years.