Rumbles over Klopp’s contract with Red Bull

Admin I Friday, October 11, 2024

BERLIN – Red Bull sports CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has denied media reports that the company’s new hiring Jürgen Klopp has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave to take the job as Germany national team coach.

“Jürgen Klopp has no release clause and we’re looking forward to a long-term cooperation,” Mintzlaff told dpa on Friday.

“In Julian Nagelsmann, Germany has a fantastic coach who I really appreciate and with whom I have a very good relationship,” he added.

The Austrian energy drinks giants announced this week that former Liverpool manager Klopp has been appointed as head of global football at the company.

In his new position he will oversee Red Bull’s international network of football clubs, which includes RB Leipzig, the New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg, among others.

Mintzlaff also said that reports that the late company founder Dietrich Mateschitz had already convinced Klopp to join Red Bull back in 2022 are “completely unfounded and a fairy tale.”

“As far as I know, Jürgen Klopp extended his contract with Liverpool in 2022,” he said.

Mintzlaff added that the feedback on Klopp’s signing “was outstanding and we are convinced that we will take the next development steps in all sporting areas with Jürgen.”

Following the death of Mateschitz in October 2022, Mintzlaff was promoted to the management of the Red Bull Group as the person responsible for all sporting activities. Until then, he had worked as managing director at Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.