"I apologize to Gerrard, I am ashamed of myself because he doesn't deserve it," said the Manchester City manager in a press conference.
The coach of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, publicly apologized to former Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, for a comment made after the announcement of the Premier League's investigation into 100 accounting violations by the Catalan coach's club.
The English champions could face a points deduction or even relegation if found guilty of the allegations of financial irregularities between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons by an independent commission.
A mistake by Gerrard in Liverpool's defeat to Chelsea in 2014 opened the door for City to win the Premier League title, two years before Guardiola arrived in Manchester.
In his first press conference after the accusations became known, Guardiola said: "I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard's slip".
Guardiola stated that he has already privately apologized to Gerrard, the former Aston Villa coach.
Gerrard is considered one of the greatest players in Liverpool's history, despite never winning the Premier League.
"I apologize to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comment that I made last time about him," said Guardiola.
"He knows how much I admire him for what he has done for the country I live in. I defended my club, but I did not represent my club well with my stupid comment. I am ashamed," he added.
"I have apologized to him privately, but since the comments were public, my apologies must also be public," he concluded. AFP