Pep Guardiola breaks silence on Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s ‘115 fees’ joke
Pep Guardiola chose not to retaliate against Liverpool manager Arne Slot after the Reds boss quipped about the 115 charges Manchester City are up against.
Slot was in high spirits on Tuesday when he responded to Mohamed Salah‘s remarks that Sunday’s 2-0 victory over City might be his last home game against the title holders, given his contract ends in June. “Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 [charges] so he doesn’t expect them to be in the Premier League next season,” Slot joked.
Quick to avoid any backlash, the Liverpool boss hastily clarified: “I do expect them to be in the Premier League. That was a joke! I do repeat: that was a joke.”
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City find themselves embroiled in a legal tussle with the Premier League concerning 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations. If found culpable, they face the risk of relegation from the top division.
The club has refuted all claims, but the issue is set to overshadow the 2024/25 season, with a decision unlikely before late 2025 and potential appeals prolonging the matter, reports the Mirror.
When questioned about Slot’s remarks ahead of City’s Wednesday match against Nottingham Forest, Guardiola simply stated, “It was a joke,” He added, “He said it was a joke, right? It was a joke.”
Guardiola has bigger issues to address, as City are currently on a seven-match winless run and trail Liverpool by 11 points in the title race. The City manager has appeared frustrated on the touchline in recent weeks and made headlines at Anfield on Sunday when he held up six fingers to the crowd, signifying the number of Premier League titles he has won.
When questioned if he had lost his cool, Guardiola responded: “We won six, yeah. I was never cool. Do you know why I was cool? Because we won.
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“If you ever win, it’s so cool, it’s so handsome, it’s so nice. When you don’t win it’s completely the opposite. But it’s the same.”
Guardiola’s actions mirrored those of Jose Mourinho, who held up three fingers when he was Manchester United manager. That incident was perceived as the beginning of the end for Mourinho at United.
“I hope not in my case,’ Guardiola said. “Maybe we are similar like Jose, but he won three and I won six! We are together in those situations.
“It was just to make our fans feel that what we have done is extraordinary. I want to prove that we are an incredible football club. Sooner or later it’s going to be the end but I will try to extend as much as possible for the best of my club.”
