Ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hits back at critics from old clubs with six-word question
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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hit back at criticism of his new job as Red Bull's head of global soccer. Klopp left Liverpool after almost nine years at the helm last summer and he officially started his new job with Red Bull on January 1. As part of his role, Klopp will oversee the multiple clubs owned by Red Bull, including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls.
They also own Brazilian club Red Bull Bragantino and have stakes in Leeds United and Paris FC. Multi-club ownership is a source of major controversy within football and Klopp's decision to join Red Bull resulted in plenty of criticism, most notably from his former clubs Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund fans accused him of being a 'sell-out', while Mainz fans unveiled banners during their Bundesliga clash with Leipzig in October that criticised the move. One read: "Have you forgotten everything we have made you become?," while another questioned if Klopp was 'crazy'.
However, Klopp has hit back at his critics, asking whether the fans of clubs owned by Red Bull "deserve good football". Speaking at his first press conference, Klopp said: "I was at Leipzig Stadium for the first time this weekend and saw 47,000 people there, 5,000 were from Bremen, but 42,000 supporters for Leipzig.
"I sat there and asked myself and I know what everyone else is saying about it when they see me there, at my former clubs, and I think 'do they not deserve good football?'. All the people in Leipzig, all the people in the region, all the people who want to see them win.
