´One of the most ridiculous ideas in football´ – Klopp slams Nations League amid Champions League fi

Jurgen Klopp labelled the Nations League as “one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football” amid arguments with UEFA over Champions League final ticket allocations.

Liverpool manager Klopp took aim at UEFA after it was announced fewer than 20,000 tickets apiece will be allocated to Reds and Real Madrid fans for the final in Paris on May 28.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin responded by stating that the system works as he explained tickets were split between the market, fans and sponsorship partners.

Ceferin also said he had shared a conversation with a manager from Madrid or Liverpool to discuss the matters, which was clear to be Klopp after he voiced his discontent.

Klopp again expressed his disappointment on Friday, speaking before the FA Cup final with Chelsea on Saturday, as he hit out at the Nations League and detailed his exchanges with Ceferin.

The German accepted Ceferin’s explanation on the Champions League but implored UEFA to take more revenue from the competition as long as it meant his players did not have to play in the Nations League.

Liverpool  Real Madrid…

The 2022 #UCLfinal is set! #UCL pic.twitter.com/GYFrvIHsUh

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 4, 2022

“We didn’t speak, he texted me. I obviously said that there should be more tickets for supporters and then I think the same explanation [he gave me] he gave publicly,” Klopp told reporters.

“What is it? 93 per cent of the Champions League money goes to the clubs and UEFA only get a few euros and I replied and said ‘okay, this is one of those situations where you should have more information before you give answers’ but I cannot constantly be prepared for these kinds of things, but I still have an opinion.

“So it’s fine, I will try to clarify that here that obviously I didn’t know enough about it. But I said as well in this conversation, I have said now that he spoke to me, that the reason I am not in such a good mood when I speak about UEFA is because of the Nations League.

“I still think it is one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football because now we finish a season where [some] players have played more than 70 games, easily – club games 63 or 64, plus internationals – and then go direct to 75, which is pretty mad.

“We continue with Nations League games because we have to play them [when] there is no tournament, who cares we play four, five or six games with the national teams.

“So that is the reason because I would prefer UEFA take more money from the Champions League final and kick out the Nations League again. That would be my preferred solution and more tickets for the people anyway.

“That is my personal opinion. I read about it but maybe I don’t have all the information, but it is still my opinion.”