Liverpool boss Arne Slot joked that Manchester City might not be in the Premier League next season amid the ongoing investigation into the club’s compliance with financial rules.
Liverpool defeated City 2-0 on Sunday to go nine points clear of second place Arsenal, while Pep Guardiola’s side is without a win in seven straight matches.
The Manchester-based club, which has won six out of the past seven Premier League titles, is facing 115 charges related to the alleged breaches and, if found guilty, could face severe punishment, including the possibility of relegation from the English top flight.
Slot’s comments came in response to a question about Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future after the Egypt international said Sunday’s 2-0 win over City could be the last time he faces Pep Guardiola’s side at Anfield as the uncertainty over his future at the club continues.
“Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 acquisitions (charges) so expects them not to be there in the Premier League next season,” Slot quipped in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Newcastle United.
“The boring answer is always the same.
This is not the place for me to talk about Mo’s contract. It was a joke. I repeat, it was a joke.”
City strongly denied all of the charges against them and claimed in a statement that they have “irrefutable evidence” to support their position and “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
The charges relate to a 14-season period going back to 2009-10 and comprise 54 counts of failing to provide accurate information, 14 counts of failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments, seven counts of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, five counts of failing to comply with
UEFA regulations, including financial fair play, and 35 counts of failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations from 2018 onward.