Rabat – Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp has dismissed claims that his national team is “not white enough,” describing the debate surrounding the racial composition of his squad as “complete nonsense.”
Klopp addressed the subject during his press conference ahead of Germany’s UEFA Nations League match against Serbia, after social media posts questioned whether the current squad was sufficiently “German” or “white.”
“There is absolutely no reason to pay attention to these people,” Klopp said. “I have little time in everyday life for idiocy, and even less on social media.”
The former Liverpool manager said Germany’s players were strongly united and pointed to the dressing room environment as an example of people from different backgrounds working together with mutual respect.
Debate followed Germany defeat
The criticism intensified following Germany’s 1-0 Nations League defeat to Greece on September 27, Klopp’s first home match since taking charge of the national team. Dimitris Kourbelis scored the only goal in the 74th minute as Greece recorded their first-ever victory over Germany.
Among those commenting on the composition of the squad was Alternative for Germany (AfD) Bundestag member Kay Gottschalk, who shared images comparing West Germany’s all-white starting lineup from the 1990 World Cup final with Klopp’s more diverse team against Greece.
Gottschalk wrote that qualities such as character, virtues and team spirit were cultural values shaped through shared historical experiences. The comments formed part of a broader debate involving figures from the AfD, a party widely described as far-right.
Klopp has previously spoken about his desire for the national team to promote a more inclusive form of German national pride. When announcing his latest squad, he wore a cap carrying the words “One of 83 million” and said he wanted expressions of patriotism and the German flag not to be left to what he called “the wrong people.”
His comments came before Germany responded on the pitch with a 2-0 victory over Serbia on Thursday. Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz scored as Klopp secured his first win since taking charge of the national team.
