Klopp wants Germany's football team to 'reclaim the flag'

Jürgen Klopp engaged with a number of topics at his squad announcement press conference, and was not afraid to discuss politicsImage: Hannes P. Albert/AFPAdvertisementJürgen Klopp used his first squad announcement as Germany's new head coach to deliver a stirring speech in favor of what he described as "positive patriotism."

"I'd like to reclaim the flag for myself — or for us," Klopp said. 

"I want us to always wave it in a way that makes no one think: 'What's wrong with you?'" he said. "But, rather, that people simply get the feeling that you're happy and understand how lucky you are to have been born, raised or moved to this wonderful country."

This was an apparent reference to the recent state election in Saxony-Anhalt, which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won in a landslide victory.

Klopp said of the election "that some people probably thought it was OK, while many others thought: 'Good heavens, what's going on there?"

The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool head coach was quick to say he is not a political expert and that he doesn't want to talk about politics at every press conference, but that he doesn't want to "leave national pride to the wrong people."

Rather than leaving that up to misinterpretation, something Klopp said was possible, he turned toward the concept of "positive patriotism."

"I can be proud to be German and still be open-minded, diverse, kind and friendly," he said. "I actually think we're a wonderful country." 

The 59-year-old added that, just as he had selected the current squad by looking at what the country had to offer in terms of football talent rather than what it was lacking, it might help to do the same when looking at the country as a whole.

This echoed a similar sentiment of former Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who spoke emotionally after Germany's Euro 2024 exit.

"Being together must become more important again. We must not be consumed with envy, always paint everything in a negative light and not begrudge our neighbors anything," Nagelsmann said.

"I believe that if everyone starts within their own small circle — on their street, helping their neighbors when something comes up [...] [we can] support one another, integrate everyone, welcome them, and help them feel at home, and bring people together to work with us toward a better future."

Klopp was quick to turn to the power of football, while also recognizing its place in wider society.

"It's more important that we have doctors. It's more important that we have nurses. It's more important that we have a great, great many people in a wide variety of professions," he said, before adding that football can "foster a sense of community that lets us truly feel the power of sports."

Klopp cited the recent successes of Alexander Zverev, the world champion field hockey team, the home World Cup in women's basketball and the success of athletes at this summer's European Athletics Championships as further positive examples of the power of sport.

"That's our mission. We have to create the right atmosphere — I know that. But to do that, we need people who are willing to embrace it," he said.

Klopp's delivery was a textbook example of how to create alignment across his messaging. His squad, made up of 44 players including 11 new faces, is a reflection of the diverse society that Klopp proudly referenced.

His engagement with the media was also strategically smart. After laying down clear boundaries in his first press conference that included him saying he would quit if coverage strayed into the personal, Klopp this time opted to seek to include the media as part of the process while also subtly reminding them of what he sees as their role.

When explaining his choice to name such a large squad with so many new and young players, Klopp said he wasn't going to tell members of the media how to do their job when it comes to assessing players, but said that he knew how he would do it. In between the lines, this was an indirect appeal to the media to choose coverage that would foster the development of this new era of players rather than hinder it by being overly critical or negative.

On top of that, Klopp did all of this while wearing a baseball cap with the words "one of 83 million" written on the front. This is in reference to a Germany's approximate population and an expression about how everyone has an opinion on the Germany team and so is therefore a "Bundestrainer" (national team coach). It also came across as an attempt to assign a shared responsibility for the team's success.

Germany's Euro 2024 campaign briefly instilled some pride over the flag again, as did Germany's women in the Euro 2022 final. The most impactful though, was the 2006 World Cup in Germany, which provided the biggest positive cultural shift in the general German attitude toward national pride since World War II.

Now, through the vehicle of football, Germany's new head coach has declared a desire to restore that pride. Klopp said his whole career had brought him to this moment. 

After these words, it felt like all the disappointments the Germany team — and their fans — have endured over the last few years may also have brought them to the right leader.