Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
David Maddock

Jurgen Klopp calls for racist football fans to be banned for life

Jurgen Klopp has called for any football fans who peddle racist hate to be banned for life.

And the Liverpool manager wants everyone in society – not just his sport - to help wipe out the evil of racism with the “strongest possible” reaction.

The German boss responded to videos circulating of Chelsea fans singing racist and Islamophobic songs about their former player Mohamed Salah, by branding them “disgusting”.

Football, he insisted, is the best example of people of all races working together, and he believes the authorities in football have to take the lead with the toughest possible reaction to the problem.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Jurgen Klopp addresses Chelsea fans' "disgusting" racist abuse of Mohamed Salah

“It’s disgusting, another example of something which absolutely should not happen,” he said of the video from supposed Chelsea fans.

“These guys now are football fans, and if you do something like that, you should not be able to enter a stadium again, in my point of view, in your life. They should not be allowed to be part of the football community again.

“As a part of the football community, I can say that these people should not be involved. Football is the best example for how different people, different races can work together brilliantly.

“Go in each dressing room, and you find them all there sitting there together, next to each other and nobody cares about where he’s coming from, who his parents were. It’s never an issue.”

Fans could be heard signing the song in a Prague bar (kickitout/Twitter)

Premier League Manager of the Month revealed for March

Klopp though, is adamant the problem is not merely one for football. He despairs of the issue which he feels shows that something serious is going wrong with society.

And he made a passionate call for people everywhere to stand up and make their voices heard to stop the evil spreading.

“We should not see it as a Chelsea thing or a Liverpool thing. It’s another sign that something is going wrong a little bit out there at the moment,” he added.

“It’s just a complete misunderstanding of how life should be. All kinds of racism are just that some people think they are worth more, more valuable than others. That’s the biggest misunderstanding in the world out there.

Mohamed Salah is a former Chelsea player (Getty Images)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opens up on 'painful' racist abuse

“It’s still only a few people doing it, but the stronger the reaction is from all of us, the more it will help to avoid things like this in the future.

“Football is very public and we have a strong voice, we have to use that strong voice and show that we all think the same. Things like this are not allowed to happen again.”

Klopp insisted that Salah will rise above the abuse, and he added that the player doesn't want to give any further credence to the vile views of the racists.

“We don’t give these people more than they deserve. A strong reaction is needed.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.