Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp 'makes legal complaint' after being accused of xenophobia over Man City comments

Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp have reportedly made a legal complaint after the German was accused of xenophobia over comments he made about rivals Manchester City.

Ahead of Sunday's Premier League match at Anfield, which ended in a 1-0 win for Liverpool, Klopp said his club could not compete financially with City.

"There are three clubs [Gulf state-owned City, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain] in world football who can do what they want financially," said Klopp.

"It's legal and everything, fine, but they can do what they want."

Media reports quoting senior City sources suggested that Klopp's comments were felt to be "borderline xenophobic".

The Athletic have since reported that Klopp and Liverpool have made a legal complaint over those claims.

Klopp took exception to the insinuation he is xenophobic, saying ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash with West Ham: "I don't feel, in this specific case, I don't feel it at all.

Klopp has made a legal complaint over claims his comments about Manchester City were xenophobic (Image: Alamy)

"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.

"I have said a lot of times things that were a little bit open for misunderstanding. I know that.

"It was not intentional, just sometimes you say things and you think 'Oh my God! It can be interpreted like this!' but this is not one of these moments. Absolutely."

Sunday's match ended in controversy, with City boss Pep Guardiola claiming referee Anthony Taylor was wrong to rule out a goal for Phil Foden prior to Salah's winner for Liverpool.

Klopp said that Liverpool were unable to compete financially with City (Image: Alamy)

Guardiola also claimed that he had coins thrown at him from the home supporters, while the Premier League champions have also alleged that their team bus was damaged after the match.

Meanwhile, Liverpool released a public statement condemning "vile chants relating to football stadium tragedies" from the away supporters' end during the game.

Graffiti was also left inside the Anfield Road stand, referring to "murderers" and the number of people killed at the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters.

Topics: Liverpool, Manchester City, Football, Premier League, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan