Jurgen Klopp has been fiercely criticized by fans of his former club Mainz 05, where he spent much of his playing career, over his decision to join energy drink company Red Bull, which controls teams around the world.
Mainz supporters used a perfect opportunity – the team’s home game against one of those teams RB Leipzig – to put up posters aimed at their apparent former favourite.
“Have you forgotten everything we gave you?” asked a huge banner behind one of the doors, referring to his tearful farewell speech when he left the club after 18 years as a player and coach in 2008. “Are you crazy?” asked another poster, attempting a pun on Klopp’s name, using the German word “bekloppt” for crazy person. The third was a direct quote from him, but now directed at its author – “I like people until they disappoint me,” BTA writes.
On October 9th, the energy drink company announced that it was appointing Jurgen Klopp to oversee the development of the teams under their control, starting on January 1st. The teams of “Red Bull” are the European RB Leipzig (Germany) and RB Salzburg (Austria), as well as RB Bragantino (Brazil), New York Red Bulls (USA), Red Bull Ghana, and for a year and a half, Omiya Arija from Japan . “Red Bull” as a company also has a minority share in the English Leeds, and expectations are to support the intentions of a French rich man in the second division FC Paris, also with a minority share.
After leaving Mainz 05 in 2008, he had a more than successful coaching career at Borussia (Dortmund) and England’s Liverpool, where he ended a 30-year wait for an English title.
The traditions of football management in Germany are strongly opposed to the commercialization of teams with the influence of a corporation or big businessman. For example, teams like Hoffenheim (supported by the software giant SAP), Wolfsburg (with the sponsorship of “Volkswagen”), and now RB Leipzig are the object of extreme hostility.