NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� World Cup pundit and former Liverpool coach J眉rgen Klopp broke off an interview after being asked about former Germany player Bastian Schweinsteiger鈥檚 characterizations about the Ivory Coast鈥檚 team鈥檚 style of play.
鈥淎 bit African football, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, a bit perhaps also not so conditioned by tactics. We have to be prepared for it to be unpredictable,鈥� Schweinsteiger said as a commentator on German broadcaster ARD before Germany played Ivory Coast last weekend.
Klopp, who鈥檚 working for broadcaster Magenta, seemed taken aback when asked about Schweinsteiger鈥檚 comments by Deutsche Welle in a huddle with journalists in New York on Wednesday.
鈥淣ow you want to carry on the subject,鈥� Klopp responded. 鈥淣o, no, I have no chance. I have no chance to answer this question. Everybody likes it so you bring me in this situation. It鈥檚 not my job that everybody likes it, but this is a serious subject, and I don鈥檛 even know what is appropriate to say. For African people it鈥檚 one thing, for other people it鈥檚 another thing, and I鈥檓 not here.鈥�
Klopp said he had felt fortunate to avoid the subject.
鈥淭hank God, I thought, nobody asked me about that. You found a moment. And surprisingly, you are German. That surprised me so much,鈥� he said with irony before leaving.
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