Simon Jordan says Jurgen Klopp right to declare Manchester City ruling a ‘bad day for football’ but questions

Simon Jordan has insisted there is no witch-hunt against Manchester City following the heavy criticism the club has faced over its overturned European football ban. However, the talkSPORT pundit has said he agreed with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in that Monday’s verdict was ‘not a good day for football’. getty Simon Jordan has offered his verdict on Manchester City’s overturned European football ban City will be permitted to compete in next season’s Champions League after their two-year ban from UEFA over Financial Fair Play breaches was removed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week. The club’s fine was also reduced from £30million to £10m, which they now must pay as a punishment for their failure to assist UEFA adequately in its investigations. The news was met with a strong reaction from Klopp and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, who labelled the decision a ‘disgrace’, questioning why City were still fined despite being found not guilty. Following their comments City boss Pep Guardiola came out firing with a staunch defence of his club, saying that the CAS verdict is proof they have done nothing wrong and demanding an apology from his two rival coaches. “If they want to talk, I’m here,” Guardiola said. “I know that for elite clubs, respectful clubs, like Liverpool, Man United and especially Arsenal, it is uncomfortable us being here, but they have to understand we deserve to be here. Getty Images – Getty Guardiola is not happy with some of the criticism being aimed at Man City and has told Klopp and Mourinho to ‘call me’ if they have a problem “If we want to compete with them, we go on the pitch and compete with them and try to achieve what they have achieved in the past, decades ago, and what we have done this decade. We deserve to be stronger year by year. “If you don’t agree, knock on the door or our chairman and CEO and talk. Don’t go from behind whisper, seven, eight, nine clubs – go and do it on the pitch. “We are not banned because we follow the rules for the Financial Fair Play and the rules UEFA and FIFA had decided. We have done it properly in the right way. People have to understand, right now, that we are here.” Jordan agrees with some of Guardiola’s comments, that rivals clubs are reacting possibly out the threat City bring to the ‘status quo’ of the historically big teams. However, the outspoken pundit and former Crystal Palace owner insists City have not been ‘entirely exonerated’ by the overturning of their ban, suggesting UEFA are at fault for fudging their investigation. getty Man City were accused of breaking FFP rules by ‘overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016’ “I think Man City are right in certain aspects of it, there is an aristocracy mentality in certain elite clubs in Europe that want to retain the status quo,” Jordan told talkSPORT hosts Jim White and Natalie Sawyer. “But that not withstanding, Man City are not entirely exonerated by what we’ve seen so far. “I also do think Klopp is right in what he said, that it wasn’t a good day for football. “Because if you look at it, either UEFA had no business whatsoever making the decision they did, or they performed so dreadfully poorly in this hearing, or somebody got away with something. “All of those don’t make it a particularly good day for football because FFP is for the governance of football and I really do think football does need an element of control to some extent. “I’m a capitalist and sometimes you should be able to spend what you want, but the bigger picture for me is money coming in from certain parts of the world at such levels that have no care or concern for the ecosystem of football is a really challenging thing for me. “The allegation against Man City was that they lied, they misrepresented – you can either support that or you can’t, and if you can’t support it you make yourself look like a bloody fool, which is what UEFA have done. Drone footage of a Manchester City fan group’s anti-UEFA banner getty Guardiola hit back at Klopp for his comments, but Jordan agrees that Monday’s verdict was ‘not a good day for football’ “What they’ve been done for, and what Jose Mourinho’s point doesn’t make any sense of, is they were done for their refusal to cooperate. “No one’s got an agenda against Man City, I think they’re a brilliant football club on the pitch, but I do question some of their activities. “It’s undeniable, they were done in 2013 and again in 2019 under FIFA regulations for recruitment of minors. “I do think the want clubs operate needs to be looked at, and it may have been that UEFA really went the wrong way with this and could have taken Man City down a different route.” Jordan also responded to Mourinho’s remarks in particular, admitting that it’s ironic the Portuguese manager would comment given that he benefited massively from Chelsea’s spending when he was in charge of the London club. He added: “To some extent Man City are doing nothing different to what Roman Abramovich did in 2004, but Jose Mourinho runs with the hare and hunts with the hound. “At Manchester United he was screaming for more money to be spent left, right and centre, and now he’s at Tottenham he’s got Daniel Levy pulling the purse strings he sings a different song.” AFP or licensors Mourinho didn’t hold back as he criticised Man City’s overturned European football ban this week Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was also quizzed on the situation in his press conference on Wednesday, but the Norwegian was reluctant to be as critical as Mourinho or Klopp. “Other people can debate that and they want to debate that, but I don’t think that’s my job,” Solskjear said. “My job is to make sure that we focus on the next game and that we just do the right things. “But with Financial Fair Play, it was brought into keep football and football clubs financially sustainable and I think that’s important and they also give us rules to adhere to. “That’s what we’re focusing on and let other people discuss what’s right and wrong and what’s happened.” And after Guardiola came out firing towards the club’s critics, Jordan believes the City boss should have perhaps kept his cool and taken a different tack. The talkSPORT pundit added: “Do you know what Pep Guardiola should be saying to those guys criticising him, in my view? “Easy: ‘Empty your vessels and make the most noise, we proved our position, shut up and get on with it, we’ll be back next year’.”,
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