Jurgen Klopp lost his head in the heat of the moment and he knows it. He’s going to cringe when he sees the pictures of him scaring his assistant, Gary Beswick, who you’d think won’t be sending him a Christmas card this year.
But we’ve all been there. I lost my head as a player sometimes.
I lost it once as a father too, when I saw my son chopped down during an U14 match back in 2009.
Jurgen Klopp must realize that his actions have far-reaching consequences down the pyramid
Even now, 13 years later, I regret my reaction after the red mist descended. Other parents said I should be a better example, and they’re right. I should, and so should Klopp.
He is on a completely different level than us sideline fathers. He is the manager of one of the world’s biggest clubs and millions watch how he behaves. What he does is being copied, despite what Frank Lampard claims. ‘If Klopp can do it in a top game, why can’t I get away with it on a Sunday morning?’
Klopp has since admitted he was wrong, and that’s all he can do. But if we want managers to stop behaving in this way, it is the FA’s responsibility to ensure that the penalties are sufficiently deterrent.
Managers who defend Klopp and say that his behavior has not been copied further down the line are misguided
Klopp will be on the sidelines against West Ham tonight and that is wrong. If we want to stamp out this kind of behavior, immediate bans are a must.
They should miss three games, six games, maybe even ten if we really want to drive home that this behavior is unacceptable.
We see managers talking after games and holding back their criticism – the classic Jose Mourinho: “If I talk, I’m in big trouble” – but they are less controlled when they are in their technical area. They are role models and must remember that. If they forget, ban them. It will soon instill it in their minds.
