JURGEN KLOPP has received criticism from German media following the announcement of his new job.
The former Liverpool manager was appointed global head of football at Red Bull this week.
Red Bull owns Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, as well as Austrian side RB Salzburg, MLS outfit New York Red Bulls and Brazilian club Red Bull Bragantino.
The energy drinks brand also has a minority stake in Championship side Leeds United and became the club’s main shirt sponsor ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Some of Germany’s biggest media outlets have criticised Klopp for the career move, claiming his new affiliation with RB Leipzig in particular “destroys” his image.
An article published by news website Der Spiegel read: “Klopp presented himself at Liverpool as ‘The Normal One’, in contrast to ‘The Special One’, Mourinho, which earned him praise.
“Now, many believe that he has adopted what is common in this industry: following the money. This news has caused great unrest among the fans.”
T-Online wrote: “His deal with Red Bull destroys his image as an impeccable man and goes against what fans say he stands for.
“To many, it seems as though Klopp has made a pact with the devil.
“He has torn down his own monument in an instant. His reputation as a charismatic icon of German football is severely damaged, leaving many in disbelief. Perhaps this man does not love football as much as he always claimed.”
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And journalist Günter Klein wrote on social media: “Klopp is as fake as his teeth.”
Many football fans and journalists in Germany have continued to stand against RB Leipzig following Red Bull’s takeover in 2009.
Originally, the club was competing in the fifth tier of German football under the name SSV Markranstadt.
But then Red Bull came along, changed the name and pumped an eye-watering amount of money into it.
Fans then became angered when chiefs found a loophole around Germany’s 50+1 ownership rule.
They issued a small amount of shares before buying 49 per cent themselves.
The rest were then priced prohibitively, meaning they could effectively choose who bought them.
They even named the club RasenBallsport to get around marketing and commercial restrictions.
Many fans have since spent years protesting against RB Leipzig.
Klopp took to Instagram on Wednesday to explain why he accepted the job at Red Bull.
He said: “Hi. Some of you might have heard already, some of you won’t, from January 1, 2025, I will be head of global soccer at Red Bull, and I’m really looking forward to that.
“A few months ago, I said I don’t see myself on the sideline anymore, and that’s still the case. But I still love football and I still love working.
“Red Bull gives me the perfect platform for that. I want to share my experience which I collected over the years.
“We all know that there are much more successful managers out there but, in my career, I fought for promotion, I fought against relegation and I fought for titles and trophies.
“Sometimes we failed, sometimes we succeeded. Dealing with that is not easy, but it is possible.
“Then I want to learn again because when you are in the job and you have to play every three days, you barely have time for that.
“Now I have time and I have the opportunity. I want to see, feel and figure out what is useful for football; developing football a little bit as well.
“Really looking forward to it but now I go back on holiday. See you in January.”
