KLOPP SLAMS ‘SUPERPOWER’ NEWCASTLE
JURGEN KLOPP joined the chorus of concern over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record following the recent takeover of Newcastle, questioning why English football ‘rightly’ rejected a European Super League only to give the green light to a new ‘super team’.
The Liverpool boss even joked that Newcastle’s new owners, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, would be able to to purchase the whole Premier League. ‘Maybe they would fancy that and then it would open up the same chances for everybody,’ he said.
Yesterday, Klopp called on Premier League chief executive Richard Masters to explain why the controversial £305million takeover was signed off.
‘I actually was waiting for some official statements about it — from Richard Masters or from somebody else,’ he said.
‘We all know there are obviously some concerns over human rights issues. That’s clear. We all think the same there.
‘What will it mean for football? A few months ago we had a massive argument, with 12 clubs trying to build a Super League. Rightly so. It didn’t happen, but this is kind of creating a super team. It’s pretty much the same: guaranteed spots in the Champions League in a few years’ time.’
Klopp added: ‘Newcastle fans will love it but for the rest of us it just means there is a new superpower in Newcastle. We cannot avoid that.
‘Money cannot buy everything but over time they will have enough money to make a few wrong decisions, then make the right decisions, and then they will be where they want to be in the long term. Everybody knows that, obviously the Premier League and Richard Masters thought, “Yeah, let’s give it a go”.’
Masters did address the takeover in a meeting between Newcastle’s 19 top-flight rivals.
Klopp, speaking ahead of today’s trip to Watford, was asked about possible reputational damage to the Premier League.
‘You ask me about that? Did anything ever happen when I or anyone else said anything about the Premier League?’ he said. ‘If you get in contact with Richard Masters, send him my regards because I am never in contact with him. I say never, maybe once or twice. But he’s the only person who can explain.’
The Liverpool boss insisted he was not ‘concerned’ by Newcastle’s newfound riches. But Klopp did suggest that nobody knows if Financial Fair Play still exists.
‘It is the third club that is owned by a country,’ he said, in reference to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
‘I’m not sure how many countries are still out there who have the financial power and interest,’ Klopp continued. ‘Football is a wonderful game, you can still win games even when the financial power of your opponent is much bigger than your own... it will not happen overnight. Newcastle are not yet safe in the league, that would slow down the process — it’s a massive project.
‘It’s clear, and we all know it — in five, six, seven years’ time if the owners are patient enough, Newcastle are a new superpower.’
The Liverpool boss also took a pop at Gareth Southgate and the FA over their treatment of Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones.
Gomez was not selected by England, with Klopp suggesting ‘there’s a special rule for Mr (John) Stones’ after the defender was called up despite not yet featuring for City this season.
Midfielder Jones, meanwhile, will miss today’s game after returning injured from Under 21 duty.
‘It’s really difficult to get properly in contact even with the English federation because they just do what they want,’ Klopp said. ‘Who were the opponents? Andorra? Great. Very important that he played there.’