Jurgen Klopp Playfully Fires Back at Gary Neville Amid Replay Controversy
This week, Klopp stirred the pot by suggesting that Liverpool’s match against Tottenham Hotspur should be replayed due to the VAR-related controversy surrounding the disallowed goal of Luis Diaz. His comments were met with a sharp response from former Manchester United defender Neville, who dubbed Klopp’s remarks as ‘madness.’
As Klopp addressed the media ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League showdown with Brighton and Hove Albion, he couldn’t resist indulging in a bit of banter at the expense of the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil.
Klopp initially touched on a unique football story, where Alexis Mac Allister faced off against his brother, Kevin, during Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Belgian side Union Saint Gilloise in the Europa League the previous Thursday. He remarked, “They are doing 25 interviews in a row now together. It’s the first time that two brothers played against each other in world football or whatever it felt like, it’s a really nice story.”
However, a keen-eyed reporter reminded Klopp that the Neville brothers had already shared the pitch in a similar manner.
The German tactician humorously responded, “Well, nobody was interested in that obviously. Sorry, that was a penalty I had to take that.”
After the match against Union Saint Gilloise, the Mac Allister brothers engaged in a rare joint interview with TNT Sports, reflecting on their unique sibling rivalry. Alexis expressed, “I’ve played against my older brother before but never against Kevin – it was special. My dad was here too, he knows what it means, he cried a little bit.”
Kevin chimed in, “He was the reason I suffer today, but it was a very special moment. Of course, Liverpool, maybe in the last match, come to Belgium and we can get revenge maybe.”
The stage is set for a rematch of the Mac Allister brothers when Liverpool faces Union Saint Gilloise in an away match scheduled for December.