Guardiola gives reasons for not apologising for comments on low attendance at the Etihad
Pep Guardiola has refused to back down on his recent comments about low attendances at the Etihad but insists he is ‘incredibly grateful’ for the support Manchester City fans continue to show both home and away. There were more than 16,000 empty seats at the stadium on Wednesday evening as City got their Champions League off to a winning start with a thrilling 6-3 victory over Group A rivals RB Leipzig. However, Guardiola’s calls for ‘more people to come’ out in force for City’s upcoming clash with Southampton largely overshadowed the match, with many perceiving it as an unnecessary swipe at the fanbase in tough financial times. A ‘frustrated’ Kevin Parker, the general secretary of the Manchester City Supporters’ Club, said Guardiola was wrong to question numbers at the Etihad and urged the Spaniard to instead ‘stick to coaching’. ‘It’s not factual, our attendances are generally excellent,’ Palmer said. ‘He doesn’t understand the difficulties that some people might ha...