Jurgen Klopp is a German football manager and former player who managed Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. He left Liverpool in May 2024 and was Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer from January 2025. The German football federation (DFB) announced on July 24, 2026 that he would become head coach of the Germany men's national team from August 15, 2026, on a four-year contract through the 2030 World Cup.
Case
An independent commission found Manchester City arranged "sham" sponsorship contracts to disguise owner funding between 2009/10 and 2017/18. City denies it, says the decision is unsafe and will appeal. As of October 1, 2026, no sanction has been set.
Role at the time: Head coach of the Germany men's national team and former Liverpool manager, at a German football federation press conference
Statement summary
Asked at a Germany press conference on September 30, 2026 about City's verdict and his earlier remark that he would come to a Liverpool title parade, Klopp said in German that he could not say anything about the other matter because he did not know exactly what it was about, and that it did not much interest him. He added that if punishments were handed down he had nothing to do with it and would wait. Earlier in his answer he spoke of his respect for Guardiola and for City's football. English-language reports translate his words differently, so we quote the German.
“Wir haben uns auf dem Platz bekämpft, über das andere kann ich nichts sagen, weil ich nicht weiß, um was es da genau geht ... Es interessiert mich ehrlich gesagt auch nicht sonderlich.”
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Klopp says he cannot and will not say anything about the case because he does not know what it concerns, and that it does not much interest him. That expressly chooses not to address the finding, so we used Explicitly stayed out. The closest competing label is not a position event, because the remark answers a question about the verdict rather than adding a view, but he answered the question by declining. He also walks back his earlier parade remark, which concerns Liverpool's titles rather than the finding.
Statement dates: September 30, 2026
Statement dates: September 30, 2026
