Jürgen Klopp on First DFB Press Conference: "That was my mistake"

Jürgen Klopp had made headlines at his inaugural press conference as the new DFB team boss at the end of July.

"If you misbehave and don't leave my family alone, I'm gone," the ex-Liverpool coach put the media on notice.

In an interview with "DFB-TV", conducted on the occasion of his first official working day at the DFB, the 59-year-old spoke once again about his very directly chosen words.

Klopp Clarifies

"What I didn't really like is that I gave the opportunity to use this media rebuke as a headline. That was my mistake. I wanted to clarify a few things," said Klopp.

"I stopped in Liverpool in 2024, and after that, the tabloid press was on us like flies on honey. We had to defend ourselves with everything we had. And that's what I wanted to say: That won't happen again. I won't put my family in such a situation a second time. So please discipline yourselves."

Klopp also explained another statement: "The second thing I wanted to say. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm not just doing it for the people either. I'm doing it for us. That doesn't mean you have to be grateful to me for it. But I'm really keen on it. I also believe I'm the right person for it. But if the vast majority of people out there think: 'Just leave it now,' then I would leave it."

Rumors about El-Mala Transfer Saga are False

Recently, there were also reports that Klopp would interfere in the transfer battle for Cologne talent Said El Mala and suggest a move to Borussia Dortmund to him.

Klopp on that: "It offended me a bit that people think I would be so stupid and my first official act would be to call a player and say: 'By the way, BVB would suit you well'. Of course, I didn't do that. That's not my job."

The new national coach stated that he has not yet spoken with the DFB players. He also notes: "Should I work with a player for a longer period and he comes to me and asks me what I would do in a certain situation, I would always give him advice that is not colored by whether I have ever worked for a club or not. It's only about the player."