Klopp defends decision to join Red Bull as global head of soccer
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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the project was “outstanding” for him.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BERLIN – Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has defended his decision to join Red Bull as head of global soccer from 2025 following criticism from fans in Germany, saying the project was “outstanding” for him.
Klopp, who ended a successful nine-year stint at Liverpool last season, also coached Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, with many fans of those clubs angered by his decision to join Red Bull
Fans in Mainz during a league game earlier in October even unfurled banners venting their anger at Klopp, who had spent 18 years as a Mainz player and then coach.
Many fans in Germany oppose the ownership structure of Red Bull-controlled clubs, including Leipzig where the energy drinks maker helped them, with investment injections, race through the lower divisions to reach the Bundesliga in 2016.
“You cannot make your decision depending on what reactions there will be,” Klopp told the podcast of former Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, published on Oct 30.
“I am 57 and can still work a few more years. But I did not see myself on the sidelines for now. It was clear for me that I would do something. So then Red Bull came. For me, it is outstanding.”
Klopp joined English Premier League side Liverpool in October 2015 and won the Champions League, their first English top-flight title since 1990, the Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cup, as well as the Community Shield during his time in charge.
He had also led Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, a German Cup and a Champions League final in 2013.
Klopp will not be involved in the day-to-day operations but act as adviser for the Red Bull-owned clubs in Germany, United States, Brazil and Austria.
“I love my former clubs, but I can’t poll the fans and ask them ‘what should I do?’ If I had gone to Bayern (Munich), there would have been a huge outcry in Dortmund,” said the German.
“What should I do? I want to keep working. If you organise your life around trying to please everyone, you’ll find you fail every day.”
Klopp also underlined that he did not see himself returning to coaching, even at international level for Germany.
“I did not want to step on anyone’s toes. I love all my former clubs,” he said. “But I don’t know what I could have done so that everyone is happy.
“My only real (other) option would have been to become a coach of a national side. But I don’t want to be a coach any more.”
Throwing his support behind Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, Klopp said: “We would all be happy if Julian did it for 10 years and won four titles.”
He added that he hoped to be a “mouthpiece for the players” in his new role with Red Bull, for instance by targeting player welfare issues.
He had spoken regularly about player welfare during his time in the dugout, criticising the number of matches and the turnaround between games.
“They say there are too many games – and there are too many games,” he said. “In order to keep quality at a high level, the number needs to be reduced.
“Or you could have larger squads, but that would be very difficult internally over the whole season.” REUTERS, AFP
