Julian Nagelsmann has revealed that he 'did not expect an apology' from Jurgen Klopp after the former Liverpool manager made a controversial joke about replacing him as Germany head coach. Klopp, now head of global soccer for Red Bull, made the comment during Magenta Sport's coverage of Germany's 7-1 World Cup win over Curacao.
The Controversial Comment
While discussing Germany's starting lineup, Klopp remarked, 'Luckily, it's Julian Nagelsmann who's picking the team... still.' Bayern Munich icon Thomas Muller, co-presenting, laughed and responded, 'Kloppo, we are still in June. You are already in September.'
However, former Germany international Stefan Effenberg criticized Klopp, saying on Sport1: 'That's not right; he's speaking to millions of viewers. A comment like that, you can make it over a beer in the pub, but certainly not in front of millions of viewers. It's unacceptable.'
Klopp's Apology
Klopp later apologized directly to Nagelsmann, admitting, 'I could have punched myself in the face for that... I'll be 59 on Tuesday and I'm still an idiot.' He assured Nagelsmann of his support, saying, 'We are completely on your side, whatever you do with this. Nothing will come of it that is intended to disrupt the process here.'
Nagelsmann's Response
Speaking ahead of Germany's match against Ivory Coast, Nagelsmann downplayed the incident: 'I did not expect an apology from Jurgen Klopp for his comments and I also don't listen to everybody talking about our team. That's not possible.'
The Germany boss appeared unfazed, focusing instead on the team's preparation. The controversy comes amid Klopp's involvement in Red Bull's decision to sack Leipzig coach Ole Werner, a move that also drew attention after Werner's farewell letter omitted Klopp.
