Germany's head coach Jurgen Klopp has delivered a strong rebuke to critics questioning the racial makeup of the national team, labelling them 'idiots' and describing the very existence of such debates as madness.
This controversy emerged following Germany's 2-0 defeat to Greece, which prompted ultra-right politicians to highlight the relatively low number of white players on the pitch. Deputy leader of the Alternative for Germany party, Kai Gottshalk, shared a collage comparing the all-white 1990 World Cup-winning squad to the team that faced Greece, which featured eight non-titled players, backing it up with comments about 'cultural values'.
Addressing these remarks, Klopp, a former Liverpool manager, expressed his disdain for giving attention to such individuals:
You won't get my thoughts on this. I have little time in my everyday life for idiocy – and even less on social media. The world could learn a lot from the sports changing room... There, everyone is respected based on facts, not discredited for false opinions.
Klopp has previously voiced his desire to 'take back the national flag', emphasising that he doesn't want to hand over national pride to the wrong people.
