Guardiola Responds to Mourinho's Comments: "It Was a Joke"

TDT | Manama

Email: hussianm@newsofbahrain.com

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has clarified his recent comments regarding his Premier League title haul after former Chelsea boss José Mourinho made a pointed response. Speaking on December 7, Guardiola explained that when he claimed to have won six titles compared to Mourinho’s three, his intention was not to offend.

"I hope not in my case... He won three, I won six... but we are the same like that," Guardiola had said, raising six fingers after a match, a reference to Mourinho’s famous three-finger gesture in 2018.

Mourinho fired back ahead of Fenerbahce's game against Besiktas, implying that his titles were "fair and clean," in contrast to Guardiola’s alleged dealings with legal issues surrounding Manchester City’s finances, which the club has always denied.

Guardiola responded, stating: "If I have offended him, I am so sorry. But it was a joke. The fact is he has three and I have six, it is a fact. But the intention was completely fine."

He further addressed City’s ongoing legal situation, stating, “We are innocent until proven guilty," concerning Premier League investigations into financial rule breaches from 2009 to 2018.

The tension between the two managers is not new, with Mourinho previously suggesting that if City's titles are stripped, Manchester United could be awarded the 2017-18 Premier League trophy, a season where United finished second.

City’s next Premier League match is against Crystal Palace, with Guardiola's focus remaining firmly on his team’s performance as they sit in fourth place.