Klopp: I feel for Pep but this is serious

LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp admitted last night he was stunned at news of Manchester City’s Champions League ban. ‘It was a shock when I heard it,’ he said.

‘I have no idea how these things work – what I can say is Manchester City under Pep Guardiola play sensational football. I’ve always admired what they do.

‘In this moment I imagine it’s very hard for them.

‘To be honest I feel for Pep and the players because, wow, they did, for sure, nothing wrong. They can appeal so we will see what happens then. It is obviously serious.’

City face the possibility of being stripped of their Premier League title won in 2014 if a separate Premier League investigation were to find that they had breached financial rules, which City deny.

Manager Pep Guardiola is said to be supportive of the club’s position and in no imminent danger of leaving, with the club maintaining they will be cleared of breaches of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.

But in the separate Premier League inquiry, City have yet to be charged and the governing body have issued no comment, even though there has been speculation about a points deduction this season, which would now be largely meaningless.

If City are charged, the Premier League rule book allows a commission to deduct points retrospectively, which would impact on City’s positions in the seasons affected. Though not confirmed by the Premier League, the period under investigation would appear to be from 2012 to 2016, as that is the when UEFA’s CFCB says that City overstated their sponsorship income.