Klopp expects Liverpool fans to respect tribute to the queen
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) â Liverpool manager JuÌrgen Klopp said he expects the teamâs fans to show âthe right respectâ if UEFA accepts a request by the club for a minuteâs silence to be held before the Champions League match against Ajax at Anfield on Tuesday in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.
Liverpool supporters booed the national anthem â which was formerly âGod Save the Queenâ â when it was played ahead of the FA Cup final in May and the Community Shield in July because of what is perceived to be a long-held opposition toward the establishment.
There have been periods of silence before sporting fixtures and events around the country since the death of the queen at the age of 96 on Thursday.
Klopp said it would be âthe right thing to doâ for Liverpool to make the tribute and referred to how his clubâs fans conducted themselves during a Premier League match against fierce rival Manchester United in April, which took place a day after the death of one of Cristiano Ronaldoâs new-born twins.
There was a show of support from both teamsâ fans for Ronaldo, with Liverpoolâs supporters making a brief rendition of their club anthem â âYouâll Never Walk Aloneâ â amid applause around Anfield.
âI donât think our people need any advice from me for showing respect,â Klopp said. âThere are plenty of examples where people show exactly the right respect.
âOne, surprisingly, and I was really proud of that moment, was when we played Man United after a very sad situation in Cristiano Ronaldoâs family. That is what I expect. For me, it is clear it is what we have to do.â
Liverpool fans booed the national anthem in the 1980s and during what some refer to as the âmanaged declineâ of the city during the tenure of the Conservative Party-led government. Deepening those feelings was the failing of the government following the Hillsborough Stadium disaster and many from the left-leaning city continue to feel let down by the state.
Liverpool fans jeered the national anthem and the introduction of Prince William, the queenâs grandson, before the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Klopp was asked how he felt when he heard about the death of the queen.
âIâm 55 years old and sheâs the only queen I ever knew,â the German coach said. âAs far as I know â I donât know her â but the things we have seen of her, she was a really warm, nice, beloved lady. Thatâs all I need to know.
âBecause of my personal experience â and itâs not what I think, itâs what people think who are much closer to her â I respect their grief a lot and thatâs why I will show my respect tomorrow night with a minute of silence if it goes through.â
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports