Klopp hurls hard words at DFB-Leaks – “A bit poor”
In the lavish hall of the DFB‑Center, Jürgen Klopp, a 59‑year‑old man, stands at the podium and looks at the assembled journalists. He presents for the first time as national team coach his first squad for the German national team and uses the press conference to criticize the numerous leaks surrounding the nominations.
Clear statement against premature announcements
Klopp starts with humor and says: “You practically already know everything.” For a name that is still unknown, he even jokingly offers his cap as a prize. Shortly after, his tone becomes serious: “I don’t care at all whether it comes out early. I have no problem with that.”
He condemns the practice of publishing things earlier than one should actually know them, and calls it “a bit poor”, to earn a living from it. In doing so, he directs his words especially at those responsible for the leaks.
The new squad and the upcoming matches
The national team coach has nominated a total of 44 players, divided into two 22‑man squads, each of which is to play two of the four international matches in just under two weeks. As an example, he mentions Felix Keidel from SV Elversberg, with whom he had spoken after the premature announcement of his nomination. Klopp emphasizes that especially young professionals deserve a responsible handling of the coverage.
His official debut on the sidelines takes place on September 24 in Amsterdam against the Netherlands, followed by two matches with Greece and a home game against Serbia. Some players are expected to remain with the DFB team throughout the entire period.
Fans, especially of FC Schalke, hoped that Soufiane El‑Faouzi would also receive an invitation. However, the midfield engine is missing from Klopp’s list. El‑Faouzi, born in Siegen and holding Moroccan citizenship, already played a friendly for Morocco against Burundi in May. Should he now be used in the upcoming mandatory matches for Morocco, the door to the DFB would be permanently closed.
The Schalke striker has shown a sensational development since his move to S04 and could receive more playing time in the Morocco national team, as the competition in central midfield there is lower. In the DFB squad, however, he competes with Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Felix Nmecha, Angelo Stiller and Tom Bischof.