Klopp opens Germany tenure with resignation threats and privacy warning

AP: Jürgen Klopp opened his tenure as Germany’s national team coach yesterday with an assertive first press conference, spelling out circumstances under which he would walk away before he has even begun rebuilding a side that again fell short at the World Cup.

The former Liverpool boss told German reporters he would step down if he concluded they were encroaching on his relatives’ private lives. He also suggested the Germany post might close out his coaching career and conceded he has not closely followed international football.

Klopp’s focus is on Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup. He was the German football association’s leading choice and has agreed terms running through the 2030 finals. Introducing him yesterday, he called the appointment “a big honour” and indicated it could be the last coaching role he takes.

He said he would be willing to depart with no compensation package if results disappoint or the backlash becomes too severe, and vowed to resign unless the press “leave my family in peace”.

“Jürgen Klopp has no career after the national team,” he said. “Ideally, this will be the highlight of my career, my life, my working life. I will put everything into it that I possibly can.”

Klopp takes over from Julian Nagelsmann, who stepped down under intense scrutiny after Germany’s defeat by Paraguay left them eliminated before the round of 16 at a men’s World Cup for a third consecutive tournament. Klopp voiced the view that Nagelsmann and England manager Thomas Tuchel had been handled poorly by the press.

“I’m doing the job even though I’ve heard how you treated Julian, although I’ve heard how England treats Tuchel,” he said, without detailing what he objected to.

The Germany role is Klopp’s first return to the dugout since he departed Liverpool in 2024, blaming exhaustion. During negotiations for the national job he described himself as “recharged”.

He suggested some unexpected call-ups may follow and framed his brief as more than collecting victories — he wants to revive enthusiasm for the team. He also acknowledged that “it’s been a while” since he regularly watched Germany matches that were not major tournaments.

“I want to create something with the national team that means that people go home after the game and think ‘That was really cool.’ That’s what I’d like to see happen,” he said.

Famed for the high-intensity “heavy metal football” he delivered at Liverpool, Klopp became Germany’s first-choice hire the moment Nagelsmann left. Through weeks of negotiations the 59-year-old — two decades older than his predecessor — remained in the United States working as a World Cup analyst for a German-language network.

The association also negotiated with the Red Bull organisation, where Klopp had spent roughly 18 months as “head of global football”, advising the group’s clubs worldwide. Federation president Bernd Neuendorf said Red Bull would not receive a conventional release payment. Instead, Germany will contribute one million euros (US$1.14 million) to a charity linked to Red Bull and stage three national-team fixtures in Leipzig, the eastern city whose Bundesliga side Red Bull supports.

Klopp’s first tests arrive quickly: four Nations League fixtures in 11 days against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia across late September and early October. The 2028 European Championship stands as his first major target.