Jurgen Klopp has said he would “hate myself” if his recent comments about Manchester City‘s spending power were rooted in xenophobia.
The Liverpool manager has been forced to defend himself against accusations of xenophobia following an anonymous briefing connected to City after Sunday’s 1-0 Anfield victory against the Premier League champions.
City sources told ESPN and other media outlets that the club hierarchy believed Klopp’s comments — he said “nobody can compete with City” — to be xenophobic in relation to the club’s Abu Dhabi-based owners. City declined to go on the record with the accusation when asked by ESPN.
But speaking in a news conference at Liverpool‘s training ground ahead of Wednesday’s league game at West Ham United, Klopp said the claims were unfounded.
“In this specific case, I don’t feel hit at all,” Klopp said. “I know myself and you cannot hit me with something that is miles away from my personality.
“If I would be like this, I actually can’t remember the word [xenophobic], I would hate myself for being like this.
