Gary Lineker takes aim at Jurgen Klopp comments on protesting fans

Klopp's comments were labelled "spectacularly tone deaf" by Gary Lineker

Jurgen Klopp is facing criticism after telling fans to "calm down" in their protests against failed Super League plans and the billionaire club owners responsible. Last weekend, 12 of Europe's biggest football clubs revealed plans to form a continental super league. Six Premier League sides were involved in the discussion - Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs. News of said plans enraged both football fans and federations such as UEFA and the FA. By Tuesday night, the plans looked to be crumbling as, one by one, clubs began pulling out in response to a fiery backlash from fans and notable names such as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. While the European Super League no longer looks like it could become a reality, fans of the big six have continued protesting against the billionaire owners responsible for the concept. https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1385895986355179524?s=20 Writing in the Liverpool FC matchday programme, Jurgen Klopp said Anfield is a place he is "proud to call home", but feels it has been "trashed" by recent protests against club owners FSG. Speaking to BT Sport ahead of Liverpool's lunchtime kick-off against Newcastle, Klopp was asked to clarify his comments by a reporter. Klopp said:

"Look, it hurt a lot. Yes our owners made a mistake. We've said it often enough, they know it and these kind of things. "What I didn't like in that moment was it – the Leeds supporters were a good example, they went on us. We had nothing to do with that, we are just the face of the club. Our supporters had nothing to do with that. "We didn't even have the idea, we had nothing to do about it and that’s what for me is really important that we don’t forget that. It's constantly mentioned, Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool Football Club – no, it was not Liverpool Football Club. "It was representatives of Liverpool Football Club, we have to make a difference. That's really very important. I see the pictures the last few days of the Arsenal and Chelsea stuff like this... I really think, you all have to calm down."

https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1385926876095463425?s=20 Klopp's comments didn't go down too well with BT Sport anchor Gary Lineker. In a post published on Twitter, Lineker said: "A handful of owners try to tear our game apart and may well try to do so again, and we're just told to 'calm down and move on'. "Huge admirer of Klopp but he's spectacularly tone deaf here. Without the fans of our beautiful game it would be much uglier today." https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/1385924123914870791?s=20 Read more: Alastair Campbell on the five ways to reform football in the wake of the European Super League fiasco

---