Jurgen Klopp was not pleased when he was asked to speak about Bastian Schweinsteiger's recent comments about Cote d'Ivoire following the African side's contest against Germany
05:03, 25 Jun 2026
Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp had no interest in responding to comments made by Bastian Schweinsteiger(Image: Getty Images)
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp abruptly walked out of an interview after being quizzed about the racism row surrounding Bastian Schweinsteiger. The World Cup winner stands accused of making racist remarks while commentating on Germany's victory over the Ivory Coast.
The ex-Manchester United and Bayern Munich stalwart is currently employed by German broadcaster ARD. Schweinsteiger, 41, has come under fire for his characterization of the Ivory Coast's style of play. Klopp is also working the World Cup, serving as a pundit for fellow German outlet Magenta TV.
While analyzing the West African side, he described their football as "African football", elaborating that it was "a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical."
He further suggested that Julian Nagelsmann's squad needed to be "prepared for it to be unpredictable at times" before they went on to clinch a 2-1 victory. The former midfielder's remarks have drawn widespread condemnation and sparked considerable debate across Germany.
So much so that Klopp found himself pressed for a response on the controversy by a fellow journalist during a media scrum. When questioned by the German outlet DW about Schweinsteiger's comments, he promptly ended the interview and left.
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"And now you want to carry on this subject. No, no, I have no chance, I have no chance to answer this question. Everybody likes it, so you bring me into this situation. It's not my job that everybody likes it, but this is a serious subject. I don't even know what is appropriate to say.
"For African people, it's one thing, for other people, it's another thing, and I'm not here. Thank god I thought nobody asked me about that. You found a moment, and surprisingly, you are German. That surprised me so much. Thank you very much."
Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp and Bastian Schweinsteiger are both working the World Cup for German TV(Image: Getty Images)
Klopp subsequently left the group of journalists, several of whom could be heard protesting with "no, no" as he walked away.
Phillip Awounou, a Black sports journalist and author from Germany, condemned Schweinsteiger's remarks in a recent piece. Writing in his Spiegel news magazine column, he stated: "Behind attributions like 'wild' and 'unpredictable' are stereotypes which are older than football and which have racist, colonial roots.
"In the past, Black people of African heritage were stigmatized as uncivilized, different, and potentially dangerous."
"These are racist stereotypes," sports content creator Patrick Schnitzler told his 50,000 followers on Instagram, referring to recent academic studies which have revealed that commentators and fans are more likely to comment on Black footballers' physical attributes than those of non-Black players.
"We learn such stereotypes because we have grown up in a society with stereotypes. Schweinsteiger, too. You and me, too."
However, Awounou also stated he does not feel Schweinsteiger is a racist, adding: "That's simply wrong. Regardless of his problematic remarks, Schweinsteiger is absolutely not a racist and shouldn't be labeled as such."
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After the match, Schweinsteiger took to social media and wrote: "Ivory Coast were the difficult opponent we expected and showed their technical quality and physicality," not long after Germany sealed a dramatic 2-1 win.