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PEP GUARDIOLA ardently defended Manchester City in response to comments made by Jose Mourinho that cast doubt on the validity of his six Premier League titles.
The Special One retorted with a sharp “I won fairly and cleanly” directed at Guardiola, who noted that he has secured twice the number of titles compared to Mourinho.
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Referring to the 115 financial rule breaches leveled against City, former Chelsea manager Mourinho expressed: “I aspire to win, but I want to do so in a fair and honest manner. If I can’t win cleanly, I would rather lose.
“Guardiola brought this up with me . . . he has six trophies, while I have three.
“Nonetheless, I earned those titles legitimately. If I lose, I would graciously congratulate my opponent for being better. I have no desire to win amidst 150 ongoing investigations.”
Guardiola responded: “He is among many who wish to see my team at the bottom, maybe in League One or the Conference. To Jose, I assert: We are considered innocent until proven guilty.”
City firmly denies all accusations against them. Mourinho’s titles were won during the reign of Roman Abramovich in the years 2005, 2006, and 2015.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s financial dealings are also under investigation by the Premier League after the current ownership claimed that “incomplete financial information” was presented during Abramovich’s management.
Guardiola, now 53, noted: “With both our teams, we could sit down with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger to recount the many titles we have secured.
“I am confident that they will commend us soon.”
Fenerbahce coach Mourinho’s remarks followed Guardiola’s gesture of holding up six fingers to Liverpool fans as a reply to “Jose has three, and I have six” after City’s loss at Anfield last Sunday.
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Six years earlier, just prior to his departure from Manchester United, Mourinho had shown three fingers to fans to acknowledge his three titles.
Guardiola had suggested that rivals would be “mocking” due to his team’s recent challenges.
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City has only managed a single victory in their last eight matches across all competitions.
Following Liverpool’s triumph, Mo Salah hinted this could be his last game against them at Anfield as his contract approaches its end.
This prompted Kop manager Arne Slot to jokingly comment: “Maybe Mo knows something regarding the charges, which is why he doesn’t foresee them being in the Premier League next season!”
Guardiola replied: “Arne’s joke is his concern, not mine.
“I stand by what I have said. If I have offended Jose, I sincerely apologize, but it was intended as a joke. The truth remains, he has three, and I have six. My intentions were purely innocent.”
Guardiola, who is preparing his team for a match against Crystal Palace tomorrow, added: “Normal people do not dwell on results or the number of trophies accumulated.”
