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BISHOP You’re the first generation who has grown up without the
direct guilt of recent history.
KLOPP Yes, and it’s called vergangenheitsbewaltigung. There is
no direct translation, but it basically means coming to terms with
the past.
BISHOP Does it mean that you were brought up with the idea that it’s
better to be unified as opposed to divided or pushing people away?
KLOPP Look, I love my country. I love living there. I really love it. But
I don’t love it more than other countries, to be honest. But I know
more people there and I’m German, so that’s cool.
I know this wonderful country was able to make one of the biggest
mistakes in world history. Following an asshole in the wrong direction.
Of course, he didn’t do it alone, but people were ready to follow him.
The generation before me always said, ‘Yeah, but we didn’t know
exactly what was going on.’ But not being informed does not make
you free of responsibility. It’s not the same situation here – it’s
nowhere near as extreme – but you can’t pretend that you don’t
know what’s going on. My generation are the last generation to feel
the responsibility of what Germany did in World War II.
We were directly related to the men who fought in the war. My sons
have a different relationship with Germany. But we can’t forget whatI really thought racist abuse had gone from the game. When I
heard what happened in Montenegro, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and
Danny Rose being subjected to racist chanting, I was shocked.
I watch football without the sound because I’m not interested in
what the pundits are saying, and so I didn’t really get what Raheem
Sterling was doing when he pulled at his ears in front of the
Montenegro fans after scoring England’s fifth goal. I was thinking,
‘What are you doing?’ And then I read about what happened. I can
really imagine how harsh it is for these boys. I can’t feel it exactly
because it has never happened to me, but it’s so crazy that it has
started again. We are making other people responsible for our failure.
Brexit is a good example of that. Why have we got Brexit? Because
we want to have a border. Why do we want a border? So that certain
people don’t come into the country. Oh sorry, you don’t tick the right
boxes, you have to go away.
That’s what I don’t understand about racism in football, as football
throws everybody together to play the same game from all over the
world. It works out brilliantly even if you all speak a different
language. Of course, you have to learn the language of the country
you are in – a player like Naby Keita isn’t playing all the time as he only
understands about 30 per cent of the things we’re talking about.
Everybody likes him, but he doesn’t understand enough yet.
Top to bottom
Klopp led Mainz
to the Bundesliga
in 2004; Sterling
makes his point
in Montenegro;
Salah and Mané
pray during the
2018 Champions
League victory at
Manchester CityFourFourTwo.com The Managers 111JURGEn
KLOPP