Jurgen Klopp left red-faced as former club unfurl furious banner over Red Bull job
Former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund head coach Jurgen Klopp has been heavily criticised since taking a new role with Red Bull - and he's now been blasted by fans from another of his old clubs, Mainz
by Dan Marsh · The MirrorJurgen Klopp has been slammed by fans of one his former clubs, Mainz, after taking up a new role with the Red Bull group.
The former Liverpool manager, 57, is currently unattached after leaving the Reds earlier this year. He recently confirmed, though, that he would become Red Bull's new head of soccer in January, rather than returning to the dugout in another managerial role.
Klopp's decision has sparked outrage in some quarters, particularly in his native Germany, where he enjoyed success with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund before moving to the Premier League in 2015.
And it was the fans at Mainz who sent a furious message to the man they once idolised during their Bundesliga match with RB Leipzig on Saturday afternoon in the form of a number of banners.
One said in German: "Have you forgotten everything we have made you become?," while others asked if Klopp was 'crazy'. Mainz went on to lose the match 2-0.
Klopp has already faced a severe backlash since his new role was made public, but he had heavily implied since leaving Liverpool back in May that he was unlikely to make a return to full-time management with another club, though it's though he has left the door open for an international role.
Klopp confirmed that stance when reacting to his new role with Red Bull, who own clubs all across Europe. "A few months ago, I said I don't see myself on the sidelines anymore, and that is still the case, but I still love football, I still love working, and Red Bull gives me the perfect platform for that," Klopp wrote in an Instagram post.
While Klopp's decision took plenty of people by surprise, some - particular those with affiliations to Red Bull - were not. One such person was Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, who teased that he was aware negotiations were ongoing for awhile.
He said: "I knew already for quite a long time that they were talking and it was close to being signed. I think it is great. Red Bull is investing a lot also in football with the teams they have and there is a lot of talent that has come through already.
"With someone like Jurgen in charge from the top, he has a lot of experience, and he has managed a lot of great clubs. It is great for the whole organization."
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