(Reuters) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was left issuing a public apology to former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard on Tuesday after a bizarre outburst in a news conference last week.
Guardiola was stern in his defence of the club amid more than 100 charges of alleged financial misconduct by the Premier League, and referenced Gerrard’s slip in 2014 against Chelsea which helped Manchester City to pip Liverpool to the title.
He had said: “Some moments belong to us – they absolutely belong to us regardless of the sentence.
“The (title-winning) goal from (Sergio) Aguero, when (Mario) Balotelli slipped (in 2012)? I don’t know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield. Was that our fault? I have respect for Steven Gerrard – but that moment belongs to us.”
But looking ahead to Wednesday’s league match at Arsenal, Guardiola began his news conference by expressing his shame at his “stupid” comments.
“I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comments I said the last time about him. He knows how I admire him and his career, what he has done for this country that I am living and training in,” the Spaniard said.
“I am ashamed of myself, what he said because he doesn’t deserve it. I truly believe my comments in my previous press conference to defend my club but I didn’t represent my club well putting his name in these stupid comments.
“I apologise and I said to him personally but I have to do it here as well. I’m so sorry for him, for Alex, his wife, kids and family because it was stupid.”
(Reporting by Adam Millington; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
