Jürgen Klopp says national pride should not be left to the wrong people | OneFootball

Jürgen Klopp used his first Germany squad unveiling to deliver a clear message against the far right, arguing national pride should not be left to the wrong people.

According to Le Progres, the new head coach was appointed after Germany’s round of 16 exit at World Cup 2026 and faced the media on Thursday.

He named a 44-player group, including 16 uncapped, for his opening four Nations League matches, splitting it into two squads of 22.

The first group will play the Netherlands in Amsterdam on 24 September, then Greece on 27 September in Augsburg. The second will meet Serbia on one October in Munich, then Greece again on four October in Thessaloniki.

Klopp confirmed Marc-André ter Stegen as the new first-choice goalkeeper and said Joshua Kimmich would retain the captaincy.

He referenced the Saxony-Anhalt vote in which AfD took 43.8% and fell just short of an absolute majority in the regional parliament. Stressing he was not a politics specialist, he said he wanted to reclaim the flag for everyone, spoke of positive patriotism, and insisted one can be proud of being German while remaining open and diverse. He added that society’s doctors, carers and workers matter more, but football can still foster community and show the sport’s collective strength.

Source: Le Progres

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”