Klopp apologizes to Nagelsmann after unfortunate live comment

Jürgen Klopp has expressed regret for a comment he made earlier this week in his role as an analyst. Immediately after Germany's big victory in Curaçao, he looked up national coach Julian Nagelsmann in front of the TV camera to apologize.

Klopp is active as an analyst for MagentaTV during the World Cup and made a mistake with the comment: 'Luckily Nagelsmann is still putting the team together', followed by the unfortunate 'still'. The addition was widely reported in Germany and interpreted as a bit of a snub, partly because Klopp is regularly linked to the national coach position.

On Sunday evening in Houston, shortly after Germany's 7-1 victory, Nagelsmann joined the desk where Klopp was present together with Thomas Müller. Klopp immediately addressed the national coach: 'There is something else I want to say, we have to make time for that. We are absolutely on your side,” before publicly apologizing for his earlier words.


Klopp called it a slip of the tongue: 'I wanted to kick myself, but it was already too late, it was live on TV. It slipped out of my mouth and it made no sense at all.” With a good dose of self-mockery, he added: "I'm celebrating my 59th birthday tomorrow and I'm still an idiot."

The former Liverpool coach emphasized that it was in no way his intention to disrupt the process surrounding the national team or to cast doubt on Nagelsmann's position.

Germany had a dream start to the World Cup in Houston with a 7-1 win over Curaçao, after which the attention in the mixed zone and at the desk partly shifted to Klopp's explanation and apology.

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