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LONDON, November 29 – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Diego Maradona’s life encapsulated the ups and downs of being a world-famous footballer and regretted that no more was done to help the late Argentine superstar.
Maradona died on Wednesday at the age of 60 after a long struggle with addiction to alcohol and drugs, causing great emotion in one of the best players in history.
Klopp described his only encounter with Maradona as an “encounter with the Pope,” but believes that the love shown after his death could have helped prevent some of his excesses.
“His life shows how pleasant life can be when you are a world-class footballer and how difficult it can be as well,” the Liverpool manager said on Friday.
“He was a very impressive figure. I met him once that, for a player of my level, it was like meeting the Pope to be honest, it was really special.
“I will miss football, I will miss it and you can see it in everyone’s reactions if we had shown our love to him without wanting to take a selfie, just showing him the respect he deserves while he still lived, I think we could have helped him” .
Anfield fan return
Closer to home, Klopp will be able to lead Liverpool in front of his own fans next weekend for the first time since the club ended a 30-year wait to win a league title.
Fans have been barred from top-level matches in England since March, but a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions will allow fans to return to stadiums in some parts of England.
Liverpool and London have been placed in the Tier 2 category based on infection rates, meaning that up to 2,000 fans will be able to attend the matches.
But Premier League clubs based in Tier 3 areas like Manchester and Birmingham cannot open their doors.
If the situation improves and the areas are placed at Level 1, the clubs will be able to have up to 4000 fans.
Klopp welcomed the return of the fans and does not believe it gives an unfair advantage to certain clubs.
“We are all really looking forward to small steps in the right direction, not just in football, in all aspects of life,” he said. “These things with level one, two and three is the best idea that we have right now in this country.
“I understand why there are some discussions (that they say) that it will be an advantage for some clubs. I said before I knew at what level Liverpool will be, that it is not an advantage or a disadvantage, it is just taking small steps in the right direction.
Liverpool’s clash with Wolves on December 6 will be the first match at Anfield with spectators since the Champions League loss to Atlético Madrid in March. – AFP
