LONDON: Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said he and his squad had found out about the clubâs involvement
in plans for a breakaway Super League only on Sunday and urged angry fans not to blame the players.
The German, who has spoken out in the past against a European Super League, told Sky Sports television
that his opinion had not changed since 2019 when he said he hoped it never happened.
âI heard first hand about it yesterday,â he said ahead of Mondayâs Premier League game at Leeds United.
âWe got some information, not a lot to be honest. Most of the things you can read in newspapers or wherever.
âItâs a tough one. People are not happy with that, I can understand that. But I cannot say a lot more
about it because we were not involved in any processes, not the players, not me. We didnât know about it.â
Twelve of Europeâs top football clubs announced on Sunday they were launching a breakaway Super League
in the face of widespread opposition from within the game and beyond.
Liverpool have won the Champions League, or previous European Cup, six times with Klopp celebrating success in 2019.
Klopp said his aim as a manager was always to coach a team in the Champions League and he liked the fact that a club
like West Ham United, not one of the 12, could play in the tournament next year if they finished in the top four in England.
âI donât want them to, because we want to do that, but I like that they have the chance,â said Klopp, whose side have
struggled to reproduce the form that earned them the Premier League title last season.
The German said Liverpool was âmuch more than some decisionsâ and the supporters and the team were the most important part of the game. âWe have to make sure that really nothing gets in between that,â he added. âI heard we took banners down at Anfield but I donât understand that because the players didnât do anything wrong. The boys didnât do anything wrong apart from not winning all football games. I really want to make sure that everyone knows that.â Klopp said he recognised some things had to change in soccer, and governing bodies UEFA and FIFA should not just decide things.
âFIFA wants a Club World Cup, whenever that should be. Thatâs about money, nothing else,â he said. âIt happens, itâs not only these (breakaway) clubs.â After Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw at Leeds, Klopp was inevitably asked again for his thoughts on the seismic events of the past 24 of which his club are at the centre.
âIâm here as a football coach and a manager and I will do that as long as people let me do that,â Klopp said. âItâs
not a situation I heard today that I will resign or whatever.
âI feel responsible for the team and for the club, and the relationship we have with the fans. Itâs a tough time
but I will try to help to sort it somehow.â â Reuters
