Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has clarified his recent comments about Jose Mourinho, insisting his remarks were intended as a lighthearted joke.
The exchange began after Mourinho, the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, suggested his Premier League titles were won fairly, unlike Guardiola’s. This prompted Guardiola to playfully hold up six fingers to Liverpool fans last Sunday, a gesture reminiscent of Mourinho’s three-finger salute in 2018.
“I hope that dose not happen in my case… he won 3, and I won 6… but we are similar,” Guardiola quipped when asked if he feared a similar fate to mourinho, who was sacked by Manchester United.
Mourinho responded, stating, “I won with justice and integrity… I do not want to win by dealing with 150 cases before the court,” according to the Turkish newspaper “Hurriyet.”
Guardiola later addressed the situation, saying, “If I offended him, I am deeply sorry. But it was a joke. The reality is that he scored 3 and I scored 6, it is a fact. but the intention was completely good… I think that with our two teams, he with Chelsea and me with Manchester City, we can sit down at the table with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, because of the many titles we won and I am quite sure they will congratulate us sooner or later.”
The Manchester City manager also emphasized the club’s innocence amid allegations of financial rule violations between 2009 and 2018. “We are innocent until proven guilty. Then we will see what happens, but that is the way it is,” Guardiola stated.
This isn’t the first time Mourinho has publicly criticized City. In October, he expressed hope of adding a fourth Premier league medal to his collection if City were stripped of their titles, potentially benefiting his former club, Manchester United, who finished second in the 2017-2018 season.
Adding another layer to the situation, Chelsea, the club where Mourinho won three Premier League titles, is currently under investigation by the English Premier League for potential financial rule breaches between 2012 and 2019.
Manchester City, currently in fourth place, will face Crystal Palace later today.
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