Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s reputation among supporters in Germany is taking a hit after his appointment as head of global soccer at Red Bull.
The Austrian energy drinks producer has landed a public relations coup by hiring one of the most respected figures in German and European football.
Beginning in January, Klopp will oversee all footballing developments within the company.
In 2009, though, Red Bull caused controversy in German football when it took over fifth-division club SSV Markranstadt and turned it into RB Leipzig.
Red Bull owns Red Bull Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, Brazilian club Red Bull Bragantino and recently acquired a stake in Leeds United. It is also financing RB Leipzig while not technically owning the Bundesliga club.
Klopp, who left Liverpool at the end of last season after “running out of energy”, has received a lot of criticism for joining the Austrians – especially among fans of his former club Borussia Dortmund.
RB are often referred to as the “most hated club in Germany” and have faced regular protests by opposition fans, ranging from boycotting games to the arrest of 28 Borussia Dortmund fans for throwing cans and stones at rival supporters in 2017.
Borussia Dortmund have been critical of the rise of clubs such as Leipzig that have very little tradition and are accused of being used as marketing vehicles.
Klopp has also been critical of the multi-club model, saying in 2017: “I’m a football romantic and I like tradition in football and all that stuff. In Germany, only two clubs sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the game – and that is Mainz and Dortmund.”
The Athletic’s German football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor told BBC Sportsday the reaction from Dortmund fans has been “vicious”.
“Some of it has been, I would say, a little bit emotional,” said Stafford-Bloor.
“People have talked about him tearing down and putting a paraphrase about him tearing down his sand castles, ruining his legacy. As some people have said, he sort of reframed who he is in relation to the club in terms of what he means to people.
“For Klopp, who for so long was a symbol of that [football authenticity], he had kind of an unvarnished appeal.
“He was very much in step with fan sentiments when he first moved to Dortmund. For instance, he was proactive in meeting with supporters and talking to them about what was important for their club. So, for him to cross that divide and move to the other side of the the table, so to speak, is very jarring.
“Klopp is this transcendent personality who everybody has a little bit of grasp on, who everybody feels is sort of the acceptable face of football, whereas Leipzig are very much the dark heart and that goes to the Red Bull network as a whole.”