Fans of Bundesliga side Mainz put up banners condemning former coach Jurgen Klopp’s decision to join Red Bull during Saturday’s 2-0 home loss to Leipzig. The home fans made a play on words using Klopp’s surname, asking: “Are you crazy?” and quoting their team’s former boss: “I like people until they let me down.” A The larger banner had large red letters asking Klopp if he had “forgot everything we gave you?”. A former player at the club, Klopp coached Mainz for seven years, taking the team to the top flight for the first time before moving to Borussia Dortmund and later Liverpool.
Klopp resigned as Liverpool manager in the summer after winning multiple titles including the Premier League and Champions League.
In October, Klopp announced that he would join energy drink company Red Bull, which owns clubs in Leipzig, Salzburg and New York, as global head of football from January 2025.
His decision to take up a role at Red Bull has angered supporters in Germany, particularly those of former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Mainz, who have long disliked RB Leipzig.
Some fans believe that RB Leipzig, founded in 2009, does not comply with Germany’s 50+1 rules, which require clubs to be member-controlled, while others have slammed the multi-club ownership model adopted by Red Bull.
Leipzig’s win at Mainz moved the club who have yet to lose in the league this season to the top of the table – at least ahead of Bayern Munich’s home game against Stuttgart later on Saturday.
Leipzig coach Marco Rose, who spent several years at Mainz under Klopp, believes criticism from fans is the opinion of a minority.
“There were 35,000 people in the stadium and a lot of them had an opinion. I believe about 34,936 people liked Klopp because he shaped an era here and we accomplished great things together,” Rose said.
“He spent a long time in Mainz.
“Everyone has their own life and their own right to decide things freely. Not everyone has to like it.”
Ross added: “(He) didn’t even notice (the banner), so it couldn’t be that crazy.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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