Jurgen Klopp disgusted by claim Germany squad ‘not white enough’ | OneFootball

Jurgen Klopp is disgusted by claims that his Germany squad is “not white enough”, branding the accusations on social media as “complete nonsense”.

Klopp responded to questions in regard to the racial composition of his squad that had been posed online as he held a press conference ahead of his side’s Nations League clash with Serbia.

“There is absolutely no reason to pay attention to these people,” Klopp said. “You won’t get my thoughts on this. I have little time in everyday life for idiocy - and even less on social media.”

Klopp’s home debut as Germany boss ended in a shock defeat to Greece on Saturday, which sparked several politicians from the far-right party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) to criticise the number of non-white players representing the country.

AfD deputy leader Kay Gottschalk took to social media to share side-by-side images of West Germany’s team from the 1990 World Cup final, made up solely of white players, and the starting XI Klopp selected last week, which had a significant non-white contingent.

Gottschalk wrote: “Character traits, certain virtues, and team spirit are cultural values that develop over centuries and are shaped by shared historical experiences.”

AfD has been on the rise in Germany, making gains in recent elections, including in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September where it trounced mainstream parties to win. It could form the first far-right government at ‌state level in postwar Germany there.

Klopp previously said he wants to reclaim expressions of national pride in Germany from the “wrong people” in remarks widely seen as a rebuke to the far right.

"I don't want to leave national pride to the wrong people," said Klopp.

Without mentioning the AfD by name, he added that he would like to “reclaim the flag”.

He added: "I want it so that when someone waves it, no one thinks: 'What is wrong with you?'

"Instead, I want people to understand: you are happy and realise how lucky you were to be born, grow up, or move to this wonderful country.”