Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has denied claims that he made xenophobic comments about Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash at Anfield, saying “I know what I thought” when claiming “nobody can compete” with the Abu Dhabi-owned champions.
Klopp, who is waiting to hear whether he will be charged by the English Football Association for a red card during the 1-0 win against Pep Guardiola’s team, has been the subject of an anonymous briefing connected to City suggesting that his claims about the club’s wealth were pejorative towards the Abu Dhabi ownership group, headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.
But speaking in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s game against West Ham United, Klopp said his comments had been misunderstood.
“That is [the] life of people who speak in public,” Klopp said. “It is not the first time I am misunderstood. I know what I thought when I said it. When someone misunderstands, I cannot help that.
“I know I have to be careful and when I’m not I realise it. I try to do it [be careful] in the future. I say what I know or I judge it how it I see it.
