Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City didn’t mean to cause offence after footage emerged of players and staff singing an anti-Liverpool chant following the club’s Premier League success.
Footage emerged of Man City‘s players singing the ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ chant – popular with the club’s supporters this season – with some critics suggesting the song references the 1989 Hillsborough disaster or the attack on Sean Cox – a Liverpool fan who suffered life-changing injuries at the hands of Roma fans before last season’s Champions League semi-final.
The chant references ‘crying in the stands’ and ‘battered in the streets’, and also says Liverpool fans are the ‘victims of it all’, though Guardiola has insisted club did not intend to cause offence.
“It was not to offend the people about what happened in Hillsborough or the guy over what happened against Roma,” Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference ahead of today’s FA Cup final.
“You think, just for one second, you could imagine we try to offend about these tragedies of the Liverpool world? It’s incredible.
“We were happy for ourselves. If someone was offended, I’m sorry, I apologise, but it was never our intention. To win the Premier League is difficult against one incredible contender.”
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