“If Klopp had been black, he would have been fired”

Former Liverpool professional John Barnes makes a statement about Jürgen Klopp. According to Barnes, Klopp with a different skin color would have long since been fired from the “Reds”.

Jürgen Klopp has already become a living legend in Liverpool. It was he who redeemed the traditional English club after 30 years without a champion title in the summer and gave the “Reds” their first Premier League title. And that after the German led the club to triumph in the Champions League last year.

But Klopp and Liverpool FC weren’t a success story from the start. The first season after Klopp took office in October 2015, the “Reds” finished with a disappointing 8th place and in the second year Liverpool remained below expectations with fourth place and another season without title.

For Liverpool legend John Barnes it is clear: «In other circumstances he would have lost his job. If Klopp had been black, he would have been fired for the first two years. ”Barnes, who played more than 400 games for Liverpool between 1987 and 1997, spoke to“ Playojo ”about racism in football. discrimination is part of everyday life even in the Premier League.

After all, there are no dark-skinned coaches in the upper house of English football. “But this problem is much broader. How many black managers are there in the upper echelons of an industry? So why should it be any different in football? ”Barnes asks rhetorically.

People’s perception must change

The 79-time England international said we should change the perception of dark-skinned people in society. “You can’t change the structures and the laws, you have to change your perception,” Barnes says.

What do you mean by this: There will always be ways to get around structures. Barnes provides his explanation with the example of the “Rooney Rule” that has existed in the NFL since 2003. In the selection process for a managerial position, teams must deal with at least one representative of an ethnic minority.

“17 years later. How many black coaches are there in the NFL? Three, “said the former Reds midfielder.” So you can create structures, but nothing will change as long as people’s perception does not change. “