Jurgen Klopp has defended his decision to head up Red Bull‘s group of football clubs, saying he “didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes” after his decision prompted a backlash from fans of his former teams in Germany.
“I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes, definitely not, and personally I love all of my ex-clubs,” Klopp said in an interview released Wednesday on a podcast hosted by former Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos.
Klopp suggested any decision he made to coach another club would also have disappointed some fans.
“I really don’t know what exactly I could have done for everyone to be happy,” he said.
Red Bull, and especially the Leipzig team, are widely resented by many German football fans, who see the drinks company as an unwelcome corporate presence trying to buy success.
The decision has been met with criticism, and Mainz fans held up banners this month expressing their disappointment and questioning whether …