Jurgen Klopp REFUSED to take part in an interview with BBC reporter following his side's Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City after she revealed she was suffering from a chest infection.
With flu and Covid cases on the rise again this festive period, you can never be too careful. And especially if you are a football manager keen to avoid any unwanted viruses sweeping through their squad just as domestic football returns to action and ahead of a hectic fixture schedule. So Klopp’s stance was perhaps understandable after the Liverpool boss declined to be interviewed by the BBC 5 Live reported following the five-goal thriller at the Etihad on Thursday night.
The German was concerned when quizzed after the 3-2 loss by the reporter who revealed she had a chest infection, branding her ‘unprofessional'. When asked why she sounded like she had a cold, the reporter replied: “I have a chest infection, I’m on antibiotics.”
But if she was expecting some sympathy form the Anfield boss then it didn’t arrive. He said: “I’m sorry I don’t want to be here then, you should be wearing a face mask. Sorry but it’s not professional,” before walking off.
The number of people in hospital with flu has shot up by two thirds in one week, NHS England data shows and current advice from experts is for people to stay at home if they are feeling unwell. Dr Mary Ramsay, the director of public health programmes at UKHSA, said there was a link between indoor mixing and the rise in cases and hospital admissions for flu and Covid.
She said: “Both Covid and flu can cause severe illness or even death for those most vulnerable in our communities, and so it is also important to avoid contact with other people if you are unwell in order to help stop infections spreading over the Christmas and new year period.”
A mystery virus swept through the France squad during the World Cup, affecting a number of players and Klopp would have been keen to avoid something similar with a Premier League triple header in a short space of time. Liverpool travel to Aston Villa on Boxing Day and host Leicester City four days later before a trip to Brentford on January 2.
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