Jurgen Klopp leaves interview over question on Bastian Schweinsteiger’s Ivory Coast comments
Jurgen Klopp walked out of an interview with a broadcaster after being asked about former Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger’s description of African football as “wild” and “unorthodox”.
Schweinteiger, who spent 17 seasons with Bayern Munich, commented on Ivory Coast’s style of play before their loss to Germany in Toronto last week on German broadcaster ARD, saying the side played “African football” which was “a bit wild, a bit unorthodox and a bit perhaps not so conditioned by tactics”.
The comment drew criticism from many in the pundit’s home country, including German journalist Philipp Awounou who said in Spiegel that the description had “racist, colonial roots” as black people of African heritage have historically been “stigmatised as uncivilised, different and potentially dangerous”.
Awounou said he does not believe Schweinsteiger is racist and shouldn’t be labeled as such, but suggested his comments reflect the opinion of many Germany fans.
Schweinsteiger is working as a pundit (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
The Athletic has approached Schweinsteiger’s representatives and ARD for comment.
Former Liverpool head coach Klopp, who is working with broadcaster Magenta for the World Cup, was asked about the comment by Deutsche Welle on Wednesday but refused to comment on the topic and instead walked away.
“No, no. I have no chance; I have no chance to answer this question,” he said. “Everybody likes it so you bring me into this situation, it’s not my job that everyone likes it but this is a serious subject and I don’t even know what is appropriate to say.
“For African people it’s one thing, for other people it’s another thing, and I’m not here.”
😱 Jürgen Klopp walked out of an interview after DW asked about comments by Bastian Schweinsteiger, a fellow World Cup pundit.
Schweinsteiger was accused of using racist stereotypes during his analysis of Germany’s opponents Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/BOcG3aANmk
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) June 24, 2026
With a smile before walking off, the German added: “‘Thank God’, I thought, nobody asked me about that (but) you found a moment, and surprisingly you are German, that surprised me so much.”
Klopp left Liverpool in 2024 after eight seasons and one Premier League title (2019-20), before taking up a position as Red Bull’s global head of soccer. He is currently also a pundit at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with Magenta — who have exclusive rights to 44 games.
Schweinsteiger, who was capped 121 times by Germany, made 500 appearances for Bayern after coming through the Bundesliga side’s youth ranks, leaving in 2015 for Manchester United. After two seasons in England, he moved to Chicago Fire where he retired in 2020. Since then he has featured prominently in ARD’s football broadcasting and punditry, including for this summer’s tournament.