Jurgen Klopp forced to defend himself against alleged 'xenophobic' comments

• Jurgen Klopp strongly refuted the notion that comments made days ago about Manchester City’s spending were ‘xenophobic’
• The gaffer is on the spot after claiming clubs owned by wealthy Arab owners could do what they wanted financially
• Reports claim that senior figures at Manchester City were not pleased with the comments

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was forced to clarify recent comments he made on the spending power of clubs like Manchester City.

Prior to Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday, October 16, Klopp did a pre-match press conference where he suggested City, owned by Sheikh Mansour, had an unfair advantage over other clubs in terms of their spending power.

Klopp said it was hard to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint Germain, because such clubs could ‘do what they wanted financially’.

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According to BBC, senior figures at Manchester City’s hierarchy were displeased by the sensational comments, begging the question of whether Klopp’s sentiments were borderline Xenophobic.

Klopp was asked about his comments and whether he felt they had hints of xenophobia in them, to which he replied as quoted on Daily Mail:

"In this specific case, I don't feel it at all."

"I know myself. And you cannot hit with something which is miles away from my personality."

"If I was - I cannot remember the word - like this I would hate it. I would hate myself for being like this."

Paris Saint Germain is Qatari-owned, while Newcastle United is backed by a Saudi Arabia conglomerate.

Eddie Howe, the Newcastle boss, also recently responded to Klopp’s comments, saying people should be careful with such utterances.

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Klopp, however, insists he was badly misunderstood.

Klopp charged by FA for improper conduct

Elsewhere, Sports Brief also reported on Klopp facing improper conduct proceedings for his angry reaction at Anfield stadium over the weekend.

Klopp was on the touchline to watch his Liverpool side play Manchester City at the Anfield Stadium, when he was incensed by linesman Gary Beswick.

Centre referee Anthony Taylor sent him off, with the Liverpool boss apologising for his actions later on.