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John Barnes Thinks Liverpool Would've Sacked Jurgen Klopp After Slow Start 'If He Was Black'

John Barnes Thinks Liverpool Would've Sacked Jurgen Klopp After Slow Start 'If He Was Black'

"If he was black, he would have lost his job in those first two years. If he was English, he would have lost his job."

Daniel Marland

Daniel Marland

Liverpool legend John Barnes thinks The Reds would've sacked Jurgen Klopp after a slow start as manager 'if he was black or English.'

Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015 and has gone on to win the Champions League and the club's first ever Premier League title.

But his first few seasons were underwhelming for a manager of his pedigree and Barnes thinks he would've been at risk of losing his job 'under different circumstances.'

He told PlayOJO in the aftermath of Greg Clarke's resignation as chairman of the FA: "You can put structures in place, but until you change your perception, nothing will change.

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"I use Klopp as an example. How successful was he really in the first two years in terms of being 25 points off the top? But we believed that he was the right man.

"Under different circumstances, he would have lost his job. If he was black, he would have lost his job in those first two years.

"If he was English, he would have lost his job.

"This is where the idea of discrimination is a little bit strange because there's a group of people who are discriminated against in English football and the very highest level in the Premier League.

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PA

"Now, the top six teams will not have a white English manager. Yes, you can say Frank Lampard, as people have pointed out, but that's because he has a special bond with Chelsea and that's the only reason he managed Chelsea.

"But under different circumstances he wouldn't have got that job."

Clarke stepped down earlier this week after calling Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic players 'coloured' in a parliament meeting.

The 63-year-old was speaking at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee when he was asked about the difficulty in players coming out due to social media backlash.

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PA

"If I look at what happens to high-profile female footballers, to high-profile coloured footballers, and the abuse they take on social media... social media is a free-for-all," he stated.

Clarke would later apologise for his remarks.

He then resigned and stated his "unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice" to those involved with football.

The FA released a statement on its official website to say that Peter McCormick has been appointed interim chairman "with immediate effect."

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: Liverpool, John Barnes, Football News, Football, Premier League, Jurgen Klopp