KHALDOON AL MUBARAK claims Manchester City are hated in English football.
And the Etihad chairman took a swipe at Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak claims Manchester City are hated in English footballCredit: Reuters
City’s supremo came out fighting over the flak after they successfully appealed against a two-year Uefa ban for breaching financial fair play rules.
Al Mubarak refused to name any clubs.
But his dig was clearly at the two big name bosses along with their clubs Liverpool and Spurs, PLUS Manchester United, Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester, Burnley and Chelsea.
They all sent a letter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport urging them to keep City out of the Champions League until the case was resolved.
But Al Mubarak said: “There are people who don’t like us, understand. They can say whatever they want to say. There are clubs who don’t like us.
“It is a competition and sport is competitive. It won’t change the way we run things. We will keep looking forward.”
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho described City’s successful appeal as ‘disgraceful’Credit: Reuters
Spurs boss Mourinho described City’s successful appeal as “disgraceful” while title-winning Kop manager Klopp claimed it was a bad day for football.
Asked about the negative comments towards City, Al Mubarak added: “I am not surprised.
“In terms of the whispering, one thing I have never done is talk about other clubs’ business.
“It is not for me and not for the squad. We are bigger than this. We won’t do it. And I won’t do it.
“Our club and team have disrupted football in the way it was played and conducted over the last 12 years.
“And when you create this disruption, there are people who don’t agree with it. I understand.”
The City supremo insists there are no longer any issues with Uefa after winning the appeal, meaning they will feature in the Champions League this season.
Al Mubarak said: “Life is too short to carry grudges. It is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world of sport.
“And it is a competition we want to win and a competition we have to respect in order to win it.
“This was a challenge, it’s behind us — end of story now as I am focused on one thing.
Jurgen Klopp claimed it was a bad day for football when Man City won their appealCredit: AFP
“How can I help this club compete in this competition and win it and how can we have a constructive relationship with Uefa?
“I think it’s the only way to go.”
Al Mubarak admitted City’s season was disappointing.
He added: “We had lots of ups and downs. We won the Carabao Cup in addition to the Community Shield.
“We made it to the semi-final of the FA Cup which, OK, was not good enough.
“In the Premier League, second is not what we look for. We came up short. Credit to the champions who deserved it.
“Finishing second and finishing with the number of points between us is not something which satisfied us.
“Our objective was to win the Champions League so overall, given everything, it leaves us disappointed.
“Myself and Pep have something in common — we don’t like losing.”
Al Mubarak has also promised more signings as City continue their rebuild after losing David Silva and Leroy Sane.
Defender Nathan Ake has joined from Bournemouth for £40million while winger Ferran Torres arrived from Valencia for £20.8m.
Guardiola is keen on another centre-back, with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly on his radar.
Al Mubarak said: “There are additional players we will be bringing in and we will stick to the plan.
“We don’t take a one year view, we take a three, five, ten-year view.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
