Jurgen Klopp warns Liverpool fans not to attend mass celebrations of Premier League title
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has issued a fresh appeal to supporters not to participate in mass gatherings to celebrate the club’s title win following last Friday’s disturbances in the city centre.
There were depressing and appalling scenes at Liverpool’s Pier Heads as thousands defied warnings to mark the end of the 30 year title wait.
A 19-year-old man will appear in court on Monday charged with criminal damage after a firework was directed at the Royal Liver Building.
There were a further 15 arrests for drunk and disorderly behaviour.
The actions of fans who defied multiple warnings to congregate was condemned as ‘unacceptable’ by Merseyside Police and city Mayor Joe Anderson, who had faced criticism prior to the Premier League's 'Project Restart' for expressing his fears such gatherings were inevitable.
After a clean-up operation and joint-appeal from the club, local authority and fan group Spirit of Shankly on Saturday, the streets were quieter over the weekend. Now in an open letter to the Liverpool Echo printed on Monday, Klopp has issued a statement of his own to ensure that remains the case, with fans instructed to celebrate privately until lockdown rules are relaxed.
He wrote: “I love your passion, your songs, your refusal to accept defeat, your commitment, your understanding of the game and your faith in what we are doing. Even though you cannot be at our games at the moment I love that you still made sure that you were with us by making the Kop look like the Kop even if it cannot sound like it. I cannot begin to tell you how much the players and myself appreciated that and I have no doubt that it was one of the reasons why our performance against Crystal Palace was so good.
“What I did not love – and I have to say this – was the scenes that took place at the Pier Head on Friday. I am a human being and your passion is also my passion but right now the most important thing is that we do not have these kind of public gatherings. We owe it to the most vulnerable in our community, to the health workers who have given so much and whom we have applauded and to the police and local authorities who help us as a club not to do this. Please - celebrate - but celebrate in a safe way and in private settings, whereby we do not risk spreading this awful disease further in our community.
"If things were different I would love nothing more than to celebrate together, to have a parade that would be even bigger than the one after we won the Champions League last year, so that we could all share this special moment but it just is not possible.
"When the time is right we will celebrate. We will enjoy this moment and we will paint the city red. But for now, please stay at home as much as possible. This is not the time to be in the city centre in big numbers or to go near football grounds.”
