October 19, (THEWILL) – Jurgen Klopp has denied claims that his remarks on the wealth of teams owned by the Gulf state were xenophobic.
As THEWILL reported, the Reds manager was kicked off the field during a spirited 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, which prompted the FA to file a charge of improper conduct against him. However, his pre-match comments about three clubs being able to “do what they want” financially have garnered most of the attention.
The three teams that Klopp impliedly mentioned were City, Newcastle, and Paris Saint-Germain, and his remarks were viewed by some as inappropriate and xenophobic.
Prior to Liverpool’s midweek encounter against West Ham United, the German has sought to clarify his position, stating in his pre-match press conference that the allegations made against him are utterly false. He said: “I don’t feel, in this specific case, I don’t feel it at all. I know myself. And you cannot hit me with something which is miles away from my personality.
“If I was – I cannot remember the word [xenophobic] – like this I would hate it. I would hate myself for being like this. I have said a lot of times things that were a little bit open for misunderstanding, I know that. It was not intentional; just sometimes you say things and you think: ‘Oh my God, it can be interpreted like this!’ But this is not one of these moments.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.