Jurgen Klopp has revealed details of a conversation with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin where the Liverpool manager called for more affordable tickets for the Champions League final.
And the Reds boss also explained why he branded the Nations League as "one of the most ridiculous ideas in the world of football" to the chief of the European game earlier this week.
The pricing structure for the Champions League final in Paris on May 28 came under fire this month by many who view the fees as extortionate. At a time when there is a cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom, the cheapest ticket for fans starts at £125 with over one fifth of Liverpool's 19,618-allocation ranging between £410 and £578 for the Stade de France showpiece.
Speaking at a conference in Vienna this week, Ceferin said: “For us, not much will change if all tickets are 10 euros but it will change a lot for the clubs. It’s the system that works, and clubs couldn’t function differently. I explained the same thing to one of the coaches of the two teams a couple of days ago."
Klopp has now detailed how it was he who was contacted by Ceferin as he opened up on a text message exchange with the UEFA official where he made his feelings known.
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The Liverpool boss told his Friday press conference ahead of the FA Cup final: "Yes, it was me. 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 [also] gave publicly.
"What is it, 93% of the Champions League money goes to the clubs and UEFA only gets a few euros? I replied and said: 'OK, 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.'"
Klopp continued : "So it's fine, I will try to clarify 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 and 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."
