Pep Guardiola has admitted he'd be prepared to walk away from Manchester City if the club's fans were unhappy with him - amid a war of words over attendance at home games.
Guardiola called for more City supporters to turn up to the Etihad Stadium following the midweek Champions League win over RB Leipzig, which saw just over 38,000 at the ground.
His comments initially prompted a fierce response from City fans, with Kevin Parker, general secretary of the club's official supporters' group, responding to the manager's initial comments by telling him to "stick to football".
The manager was asked about the back and forth in his Friday press conference, ahead of Saturday's home match with Southampton - the game he had invited more fans to - and after initially refusing to back down over what he'd said, Guardiola went one step further.
"Mr Parker should review the comments," Guardiola said. "I will not apologise to him, absolutely not. I'm not going to apologise for what I said. I love this club, I am part of this club, otherwise I would not be in my sixth season here.
"That is why I am so upset and grumpy and disappointed this guy pretends to tell me what I have to say and do. I know exactly what my intentions were. When people are not happy with me, I will leave. If I'm a problem with the fans, I'll step aside.
"We need everybody together, our players and supporters, to do our best. I know our fans will be there to support us tomorrow and hopefully Mr Parker can come to watch us."
Sportsmail report that City have had complaints from their own fans following Guardiola's comments, though the manager claimed he never actually called out the club's fans for failing to show up.
"Did I say after the game against Leipzig that I was disappointed because the stadium was not full? Interpretation is interpretation," he added.
Source : 90min