JÜRGEN KLOPP' STORMS OUT OF INTERVIEW AS LIVERPOOL LEGEND REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

Jurgen Klopp stormed out of an interview after the Liverpool legend refused to answer a question following controversy regarding one of his fellow World Cup pundits

Jurgen Klopp stormed out of an interview(Image: DW Sports)

Ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp abruptly ended an interview when questioned about the racism row involving Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The World Cup champion has been accused of making racist comments while analysing Germany's victory over the Ivory Coast. The former Manchester United and Bayern Munich star works for German broadcaster ARD.

Schweinsteiger, 41, has faced criticism for his depiction of the Ivory Coast's playing style. While evaluating the west African team, he referred to their football as "African football" before characterising it as being "a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical."

Bastian Schweinsteiger has been accused of making racially insensitive comments(Image: Getty Images)

He also suggested that Julian Nagelsmann's squad must be "prepared for it to be unpredictable at times" prior to their 2-1 win. The ex-midfielder's comments have sparked backlash and become a significant talking point in Germany.

So much so that Klopp, who is currently working as a pundit for Magenta TV in the US, was pressed by another journalist to comment on the controversy. When confronted, he promptly cut off the interview and walked away.

In conversation with DW Sports, the former Liverpool boss said: "And now you want to carry on this subject. No, no, I have no chance, I have no chance to answer this question.

"Everybody likes it, so you bring me into this situation. It's not my job that everybody likes it, but this is a serious subject. I don't even know what is appropriate to say.

"For African people it's one thing, for other people it's another thing, and I'm not here. Thank god I thought nobody asked me about that. You found a moment and surprisingly you are German. That surprised me so much. Thank you very much."

Klopp then walked away from the gathered journalists, many of whom were heard calling out "no, no" as he departed.

Phillip Awounou, a sports journalist and author from Germany, slammed Schweinsteiger's comments in a recent article. Penning his column for Spiegel news magazine, he wrote: "Behind attributions like 'wild' and 'unpredictable' are stereotypes which are older than football and which have racist, colonial roots.

"In the past, Black people of African heritage were stigmatised as uncivilised ('wild'), different ('unorthodox') and potentially dangerous ('unpredictable').

"These are racist stereotypes," sports content creator Patrick Schnitzler told his 50,000 Instagram followers, referencing recent academic research which has demonstrated that commentators and supporters are more likely to emphasise Black footballers' physical attributes than those of non-Black players.

"We learn such stereotypes because we have grown up in a society with stereotypes. Schweinsteiger, too. You and me, too."

Awounou did make clear that he does not consider Schweinsteiger to be a racist, explaining: "That's simply wrong. Regardless of his problematic remarks, Schweinsteiger is absolutely not a racist and shouldn't be labelled as such."

After the match, Schweinsteiger took to social media, stating: "Ivory Coast were the difficult opponent we expected and showed their technical quality and physicality," shortly after Germany clinched a thrilling 2-1 victory.

- Cameron Winstanley and Cameron Winstanley

LALIGA CALL FOR ARRESTS AFTER VINICIUS JUNIOR HATE CAMPAIGN

 LaLiga has called for the arrest of fans behind a hate campaign aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior ahead of Sunday's derby against Atlético Madrid.

Some fans had claimed on social media that they would attend the game at the Metropolitano wearing masks, enabling them to racially abuse the Brazil international without being identified

Vinícius has frequently been targeted with racist abuse from opposition fans, including at the Madrid derby. Last year, four Atlético fans were charged after an effigy of Vinícius was hung from a bridge.

"LaLiga wishes to announce that it will proceed to formally report and request the immediate arrest of the instigators behind a hate campaign seeking to promote racist and derogatory acts at the upcoming match between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid," the league said on Saturday.

"The aforementioned campaign constitutes the crime of incitement to hatred, as clearly defined in the Penal Code. LaLiga vigorously condemns these actions that -- directly or indirectly -- encourage, promote and incite hatred against an individual, in this case, the player Vinícius Jr., because of his race.

"These actions also involve the aggravating circumstances outlined in sections 3 and 4 of Article 510 of the Penal Code, as 'the acts are such to disturb public peace.' LaLiga will not tolerate such behaviour under any circumstances."

Vinícius Júnior has been the target of multiple instances of racist abuse. Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It's not clear how many fans intended to participate in the campaign, with media coverage based on a handful of posts on social media. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was reluctant to discuss the issue on Saturday.

"Obviously we aren't thinking about that," Ancelotti said. "We don't talk about that. The justice system is taking action... We have to focus, there are other bodies that must worry about that."

In June, three Valencia fans were jailed for eight months for racially abusing Vinícius during a LaLiga game in May 2023, in the first verdict of its kind in Spain.

- Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez

VALENCIA FANS JAILED FOR REAL MADRID'S VINICIUS RACIAL ABUSE

Vinícius Júnior appeared in court to testify in the case against the Valencia fans. OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images

 Three fans have been sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from stadiums for two years over the racist abuse of Vinícius Júnior at Mestalla in May 2023.

The incident -- which took place during Real Madrid's 1-0 LaLiga defeat to Valencia -- sparked uproar worldwide, after the Brazil star identified an individual in the crowd who had been racially abusing him, causing the game to be suspended.

Vinícius later hit out at Spanish authorities' handling of the issue, saying "racism is normal in LaLiga," while the league called for greater powers to deal with the problem.

LaLiga praised the guilty verdict, saying it was the first of its kind in Spain.

"This ruling is great news regarding the fight against racism in Spain," LaLiga president Javier Tebas said. "It redresses the wrong suffered by Vinícius Júnior and sends a clear message to those people who go to a football stadium to hurl abuse. LaLiga will identify them, report them and there will be criminal consequences for them."

"I understand that there may be some frustration at the length of time it takes for these sentences to be handed down, but this shows that Spain is a country that guarantees judicial integrity. LaLiga can only respect the pace of justice, and once again demand that Spanish legislation evolves so that LaLiga has sanctioning powers that can speed up the fight against racism."

In a statement on Monday, Real Madrid said it would continue to work to eliminate racism.

"The three accused have accepted their criminal responsibility and have made public a letter of apology addressed to Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid C.F. and other people who felt denigrated and offended by their behavior," the statement read.

"This is the first conviction for acts of this nature handed down by criminal courts and tribunals.

"Real Madrid, which participated in this prosecution together with Vinícius Júnior, will continue working to protect the values of our club and eradicate any racist behavior in the world of football and sport."

- Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez

JUDE BELLINGHAM ON RACISM IN SPANISH FOOTBALL

 

VINICIUS JÚNIOR SCORES 2 TO EARN MADRID DRAW IN RETURN TO VALENCIA SINCE RACIAL ABUSE

AP Photo 

 BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Vinícius Júnior scored twice to lift Real Madrid to 2-2 against Valencia in the Spanish league on Saturday in his first return to Mestalla Stadium where he was racially abused last season.

Jude Bellingham was red-carded after the final whistle when he protested the referee's decision to waive off what would have been the winning goal. The referee said time expired just before Bellingham's last-gasp header.

Vinícius struck in the 50th and 76th minutes to wipe out first-half goals by Hugo Duro and Roman Yaremchuk.

Last May’s racial attack was among the worst the Black player has had to repeatedly endure in Spain. It led to an upswell of support for the Brazil forward and forced soccer authorities to take action, even though the abuse toward him has continued.

While there were no immediate reports of more racial insults on Saturday, a large group of spectators did chant “Vinícius is stupid” and booed him loudly throughout.

After his first goal, Vinícius held up his fist toward the Valencia fans behind the goal. After his equalizer, he cupped his ears as if asking for more from the fans who jeered him.

While Valencia banned three fans for life from its stadium after they were identified as having racially abused Vinícius last season, the club has likewise criticized the player and Madrid for what it considers the unfair categorization of its fanbase as predominantly racist.

In a short interview with Madrid's club television, Vinícius did not mention the fans and said only that it was “a very difficult game.” But on his Instagram account he posted an image of himself raising his fist after his first goal with the short message “The fight continues.”

“Vinícius played a very good game,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “He was decisive for us, even though he was more effective in the area than outside it. (Defender Dimitri) Foulquier played a great game defending him, so he had to find his spaces inside the area and he scored two very important goals for us.”

Madrid leads the league with a seven-point advantage over Girona and a nine-point advantage over Barcelona before they both play games on Sunday.

Duro used his head to redirect in what looked like an errant shot by Fran Pérez in the 27th after Federico Valverde lost the ball with a risky pass.

Three minutes later, Yaremchuk intercepted Dani Carvajal’s pass back toward his own area, where the Ukraine forward pounced, dribbled around goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and rolled the ball home.

But Madrid was able to grab one back in first-half added time when Carvajal’s cross grazed three players before finding Vinícius to push it home. Vinícius made it even when he headed in a cross from substitute Brahim Díaz.

Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby was carried off on a stretcher after an apparent leg injury when Aurélien Tchouaméni crashed into him in the final minutes.

FAN'S RACIST ABUSE OF MATCH OFFICIAL LEADS TO 1-POINT DEDUCTION FOR FRENCH SOCCER CLUB BASTIA

PARIS (AP) — French soccer club Bastia has been handed a one-point deduction after its second-tier game was disrupted when a fan racially abused an assistant referee.

The French league said late Wednesday its disciplinary panel judged the case based on the racial abuse of the match official, plus fans lighting fireworks and throwing one on the field.

Points deductions in such cases have been requested for more than a decade by anti-discrimination groups working in soccer.

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