Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola calls for clarity over European Super League plans

Spaniard describes the new competition as 'an embryo that is still not yet breathing'

Hakim Ziyech scores the only goal of the game in Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday, April 17. AFP

Chelsea's Kurt Zouma and manager Thomas Tuchel celebrate after the match. Reuters

Chelsea's Thiago Silva takes a boot to the head from Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City. Getty

Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech, right, celebrates after scoring. EPA

Manchester City's Aymeric Laporte challenges Reece James of Chelsea. Reuters

City attacker Raheem Sterling. Getty

Hakim Ziyech scores for Chelsea. Reuters

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gestures during the game. AP

Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen saves from Chelsea match-winner Hakim Ziyech. AP

Chelsea's Reece James is shown a yellow card by referee Mike Dean. AP

Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech celebrates scoring. Reuters

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. Reuters

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga makes a save. Reuters

Pep Guardiola has called on the architects of the proposed European Super League to explain why they are setting it up and what it will mean.

But the Manchester City manager said he would be opposed to a closed shop, insisting it is not sport if there is no reward for success on the field and also questioning the omission of Ajax from the new competition.

City are one of 12 clubs who have signed up and Guardiola said he was informed a few hours before a relatively brief statement was released on Sunday and he is eager to learn more details.

Real Madrid’s Florentino Perez was announced as the president of the ESL with Juventus’ Andrea Agnelli, Liverpool’s John W Henry and Manchester United’s Joel Glazer named as vice-presidents.

Along with fellow managers like Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, Guardiola has been left to field questions but said he needs more information from the power brokers before giving a definitive view.

“I would love the president and vice-presidents for this committee to go all around the world and say what is the reason we took that decision. My opinion is that I would love to be clear and have all the information," said Guardiola, ahead of City's Premier League game at Aston Villa on Wednesday.

"Right now, it is an embryo that is still not yet breathing, it is just a statement and no one appears and says nothing.

“We [managers] speak six times a week in a press conference, we can talk about everything. We spoke about the virus and Covid and the NHS and the furlough but honestly we are not the right people to answer these questions because there are presidents or vice-presidents that can talk more clearly exactly what is the idea for the future and where football wants to go. For us, it is uncomfortable because we don’t have all the information.”

One of the ideas is for the Super League to have 15 permanent members and Guardiola believes it is essential for football that results on the pitch matter and have consequences.

“It is not a sport where the relationship between effort and success and effort and reward does not exist. It is not a sport where success is already guaranteed and it is not a sport when it doesn’t matter if you lose.”

Dortmund 1 City 2: player ratings

BORUSSIA DORTMUND RATINGS: Marwin Hitz 7 - Had a tremendous game and kept City at bay until the penalty, for which he dived the right way but couldn’t stop Mahrez’s well-hit effort. Excellent distribution when under pressure. He made a great save to deny De Bruyne, but should have done better to keep out Foden’s goal at the near post. Reuters

Mateu Morey 5 – The full-back was a weak link and City tried to exploit him by overloading players on the left. Reuters

Manuel Akanji 6 – Had a good chance to double Dortmund’s lead soon after Bellingham’s goal, but his header didn’t trouble Ederson. At the other end, other than one mistake where he lost his footing, he stood his ground well. PA

Matts Hummels 7 – Looked confident on the ball with both feet and showed his experience on numerous occasions. He started plenty of moves with his incisive passing, and worked with Guerreiro to double team Mahrez at every opportunity. Headed the ball against the post in the second half. AFP

Raphael Guerreiro 6 – Got forward on the overlap several times on the left-hand side but rarely got the better of Walker. Reuters

Emre Can 5 – Gave away a penalty when he handled Phil Foden’s cross. He stooped low to try and clear but got his angles wrong. It was one of several mistakes in which he lost the ball, or his man. AFP

Mahmoud Dahoud 6 – Warmed Ederson’s gloves with a well-struck effort in the opening exchanges. He was involved in a fascinating tussle with Gundogan in which both players performed admirably. EPA

Jude Bellingham 7 – The 17-year-old was a man possessed. He scored his first Champions League goal and became the youngest Englishman to score in the competition. He showed quick feet to get the ball onto his right foot, and then stroked the ball into the top corner. He then saved a shot off the line, but fizzled out in the second half. PA

Marco Reus 6 – Saw a shot blocked by Kyle Walker as Dortmund went for a second goal. He later crossed for Hummels, who headed against the post. AP

Ansgar Knauff 4 – A disappointing evening, and there’ll be question marks as to why he wasn’t replaced sooner. There was little of the usual pace or aggression in the press. Getty

Erling Haaland 7 – Got the wrong side of John Stones in the build-up to the goal. Held the ball up well and brought others into play, but he was well marshalled by Stones and Dias overall. Reuters

SUBS: Giovanni Reyna (Knauff, 68) 5 – Was brought on to try and exploit the space that Haaland created with his runs, but to no avail. AFP

Thorgen Hazard (Dahoud, 75) N/A – Should have been introduced earlier, but he came on just before the corner that led to City’s goal and he probably could have been tighter to prevent the shot. AFP

Julian Brandt (Bellingham, 81) N/A – Probably would have been frustrated not to start, but he couldn’t influence the game with nine minutes left on the clock. EPA

Steffen Tigges (Morey, 81) N/A – A late addition who didn’t see much of the ball. AFP

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 6 – The Brazilian was at full stretch but couldn’t keep Bellingham’s effort out of goal. He was solid throughout, though, and his distribution as impressive as ever. PA

Kyle Walker 6 – Made a good block to deny Reus when Dortmund were on top, but didn’t offer City a great deal at either end. His pace is unquestionable, but he was one of the weak links. Getty

John Stones 7 – Got the wrong side of Haaland in the build-up to the Dortmund goal, but recovered well to keep Dortmund at bay for the rest of the game. Reuters

Ruben Dias 7 – Didn’t do enough to prevent Bellingham from finding the net, but otherwise did exceptionally well to keep the Norwegian quiet for much of the game. Made a key block shortly after Mahrez’s penalty. Getty

Oleksandr Zinchenko 7 – Delivered a couple of crosses from the left hand side and threatened with a long-range effort. Reuters

Rodri 7 – A very understated performance in which he was a steady influence in those moments of the game when Dortmund threatened. PA

Ilkay Gundogan 6 – The German was everywhere, harassing Dortmund all over the pitch and quick to break when he went on the attack. Reuters

Kevin De Bruyne 9 –City’s driving force and he came close to levelling when, after having won the ball back on the edge of the area, he struck an effort against Dortmund’s post. He came close again in the second half, but it was his overall work rate that marks him out as City’s standout player. AFP

Riyadh Mahrez 7 – Came close to an equaliser when he emerged out of nowhere to get on the end of Foden’s hooked ball into the box, but his shot was blocked by Bellingham. However, he made sure later when he stepped up to convert from the penalty spot. AFP

Phil Foden 8 – Scored City’s decisive second goal with a fierce shot from the edge of the area that was too much for Hitz at the near post. Earlier, he showed a great touch to bring the ball down before hooking it back to Mahrez for shoot. PA

Bernardo Silva 6 – Was quick to respond after De Bruyne hit the upright, but his header on the rebound didn’t trouble Hitz. He later supplied a short corner to Foden for the second goal. EPA

SUB: Raheem Sterling (Mahrez, 88) N/A – A late addition, Sterling looked a bit rusty. On one occasion, he ran into the area and was caught in two minds about what to do, before losing possession. EPA

Guardiola is proud that City have booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals for only the second time in their history but West Ham and Leicester, who were not among the Super League's members, are both in contention for top-four finishes in the Premier League.

The City manager said: “It is not fair when one team fight, fight, fight, to arrive at the top and cannot qualify because the success is already guaranteed just for a few teams.

"We are going to play the Champions League next week and we are going to try to reach the final and next season we are going to play European competitions because we deserve it and we won it on the pitch.”

Guardiola was influenced at Barcelona by Johan Cruyff, who won three European Cups with Ajax in the 1970s, and a club the Dutchman played for and managed were not named among the Super League members.

Guardiola added: “The right people have the obligation and the duty to clarify as soon as possible – today better than tomorrow, tomorrow better than the day after tomorrow – what the situation is that is going to come, why these teams play and others do not and why Ajax Amsterdam, who have four Champions Leagues, will not be there. If you ask me why these teams have been selected, I don’t know the reason.”