Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Friday jokingly asked that Manchester City shouldn’t be blamed for the early kick-off time in the game against Liverpool on Saturday.
Premier League will return to action after the international break with a blockbuster match on Saturday afternoon. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has had his say on how many times Liverpool have kicked off on a Saturday at 12:30 pm. He is not happy that his team will be playing at the same time this weekend.
In response to the safety advisor group’s recommendations, the game has been moved up to an earlier kick-off time. It has been done to minimise the risk of fan unrest. Recent games between the two clubs have been blighted by incidents. In December last year, a 15 year old girl was left ‘trauma-stricken’ after being hit by a beer glass weighted with coins. It was hurled from the Liverpool fans’ section during an away game at Etihad Stadium in Carabao Cup.
Pep Guardiola’s witty remark
When asked if he shared Klopp’s misgivings over the early kick-off time, Guardiola expressed his sympathy. But Guardiola quipped he hopes City isn’t blamed for it. His witty statement comes after the club has come under renewed scrutiny this week following Everton’s 10-point deduction.
“Please don’t blame Man City for that, please, we are not involved. We ruin the Premier League but you know, I’m sorry, it’s not that, it’s a kick-off from them it’s not our fault,” Guardiola jokingly said.
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Notably, Manchester City is under scrutiny with 115 charges of Financial Fair Play breach charges against them. In February this year, the Premier League launched an unprecedented set of charges against the Blues. The FA accused them of breaching more than 100 competition rules. It including misrepresenting their financial situation to the relevant authorities for almost a decade. They are also accused of failing to co-operate with an investigation into the matter.