Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would make a brilliant politician, according to the Labour party ’s former director of communications Alastair Campbell.
Klopp has been Liverpool boss since October 2015, during which time he has helped the club win five trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League. But the 54-year-old German has also gained a reputation for his straight talking manner and passion away from the pitch.
Although focused on leading Liverpool to glory, Klopp has spoken out against Brexit and criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson . He has openly stated that he is “on the left” of the political spectrum, but would never get into politics because he has "too much common sense" .
That is a shame according to Campbell, who has used his column in the New European to write an open letter to Klopp. In it, the 64-year-old, who worked under Tony Blair in the Labour government, asked which Premier League manager would make the best politician.
“The answer was undoubtedly Labour supporter and former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson for many years. Today, Mr Klopp, without a doubt, it is you,” he wrote.
“I wish our real so-called leaders of the country would study your type of leadership. How wonderful it would be if they had your passion for their work. Your attention to detail. Your ability to innovate and adapt. If they had your ability as a communicator. Above all, if they had your ability to bring so much joy and pride to a community.”
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Klopp said in 2019 that he believes in the welfare state and is therefore not privately insured. “My political understanding is this: if I am doing well, I want others to do well, too,” he said. “If there’s something I will never do in my life it is vote for the right.”
It is those morals that make him “so much more than just a football man”, according to Burnley fan Campbell, who worked closely with Blair during his leadership of the Labour party.
“When Covid-19 entered our lives, you immediately understood the seriousness of the situation,” Campbell wrote.
“You said this is more important than football – a message not to be underestimated in this football-crazy city that is Liverpool. And a city that hates authority, and where many people were willing to turn down the vaccine, heard from you that getting it was important. Leadership!
“Thank you for speaking out against Brexit because you understand it is not good either for Britain or for Europe. You are aware that populism is a real danger. You asked – good question – why our country gives political power to liars like Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage? You have values, Mr Klopp, which these opportunists do not have and will never understand.
“We see these values in the football you play and the life you lead. You believe that one should always try to tell the truth. You believe that strong people have a responsibility to help the weak. Even if you have never read the Labour party constitution, I know you understand – and live – its key point, that we can achieve more together than we do alone.”
