UEFA boss Florin Prunea has launched a surprising attack on Jurgen Klopp – taking aim at the former Liverpool manager’s career decisions and personal appearance.
UEFA officials have launched an incredible attack on Jurgen Klopp, taking aim at his appearance and decision to leave Liverpool to take up a role at Red Bull, claiming he was only there “to collect money”.
Florin Purnea, a former Romanian and current UEFA international, has poked holes in many of the comments made by German players in recent years. Klopp is considered one of the greatest managers of his generation and is currently the manager of Red Bull Soccer.
Purnea’s current role at UEFA is to act as a liaison with UEFA headquarters, overseeing all aspects of the match and ensuring it runs smoothly. That makes his comments about Klopp even more shocking.
He used a phrase in his native Romanian that effectively called the former Liverpool manager a “clown”. Pournea then questioned his reasons for leaving Liverpool, despite the host of his podcast citing burnout after more than eight years.
Prunea has set his sights on his next job, with Klopp claiming on the IamSport podcast: “I went to Red Bull. I went to Red Bull Salzburg just to hang out and get some free money.”
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Klopp, who guided Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund to league success, insists he has no intention of returning to a coaching position. He is currently tasked with managing a number of clubs including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls, working on a multi-club model.
Purnea later made her feelings towards the German clear, downplaying his appearance, saying: “I never liked him. All that circus… you could say he was chewing a brick in his teeth.”
Klopp was widely liked and respected across the football world, although he was not shy about making his feelings known, especially to broadcasters discussing player welfare and match schedules. That makes Purnea’s attack even more surprising.
The German previously spoke about his new project with Red Bull: “Then, a few months later, the opportunity presented itself. I didn’t want to be a passenger or a standout. I really wanted to put value into it.”
“I didn’t want to do that anymore. I wanted a fresh start and this is an opportunity, to add value. We’ll see what that looks like. There’s no one plan that will work for every team. We want to be the best we can be, in each division, at each club.”
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