Jurgen Klopp has responded strongly to a question by a Norwegian journalist when asked what he thinks about taking his Liverpool squad to play in Qatar for the Club World Cup next month.
Liverpool have already rejected a hotel that was allocated for them during the tournament due to its sketchy human rights record and a lot has been publicised about the Middle Eastern and the fact they are set to host the World Cup in 2022.
When pressed about the controversy surrounding Qatar, Norwegian news outlet VG reported that the usually-exuberant German had become annoyed.
“This question is actually not okay,” said Klopp, as quoted by VG.
“These things should have been arranged in advance by FIFA or others who decide where to play tournaments. As a football player, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything. These things should be discussed by everyone in the world ahead of the decision, rather than asking us what we think after it has been decided.
“What we mean by that is not interesting. If everyone had said what they think about these things, then much would have been different in the world. But now we are going to play the club World Cup there, and three years later it will probably be the World Cup there. Don’t ask these questions. Have your own opinion and be brave enough to tell it to the world. But don’t wait until other people say it. Ok? Good.”
OPINION
Klopp just wants to talk about football and that is fair enough but he should not become agitated by someone asking a question about a very serious matter because there is a lot of controversy surrounding Qatar. Liverpool want to win the Club World Cup. They don’t care if it’s in Qatar, Stanley Park, Istanbul or on the moon, they just want to win the competition for the first time in their history and hopefully progress in the Carabao Cup quarter-final too, which takes place the day before the Club World Cup semi-final. There are a lot of issues that have arisen due to this competition and it is natural that journalists will ask about them. The hotel issue is a big thing and Liverpool should be praised for the way that they did their checks on the company before staying there and eventually decided to find accommodation elsewhere. But if journalists do not ask these questions then how would we even know about all the stuff that happens in Qatar?
