Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said he had sympathy for his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola in the wake of the English champions ’ two -year ban from European football .

The ban was dished out by UEFA for the club ’ s alleged breaching of Financial Fair Play rules.

Manchester City ’ s domestic title challenge are all but over, with Liverpool 25 points ahead after beating Norwich City 1 -0 away on Saturday .

But Klopp said the news on Friday about the European ban for the Manchester club had taken him by surprise .

“ It was a shock . Complete wow!” he said . “ The only thing I can say is about football . What they have done on the football pitch is exceptional . The rest , I don ’ t know.

“ I really feel for them , Pep and the players , but that is how it is . They can appeal . So , we will see what happens then . It is obviously serious .

“ But the football they played was exceptional and will always be exceptional. ”
European football ’ s governing body UEFA said Manchester City had committed “ serious breaches ” of its FFP regulations .

This was by “ overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break -even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016 . ”

Manchester City denied any wrongdoing and said they would appeal to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport ( CAS ) .

Source:- Reuters/NAN