Overview

• Jürgen Klopp recounted grueling youth training sessions where players were given salt tablets, denied water, and pushed to exhaustion in 40°C heat.
• He described these practices as inhumane and stated they would be considered criminal under today's standards.
• The comments were made during a panel discussion on youth football at Leipzig Arena, where Klopp reflected on changes in athlete welfare over the decades.
• Klopp's career has spanned from youth football in Germany to managing top-tier clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, and now serving as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer.
• He emphasized the importance of modern welfare-focused regulations in shaping healthier development pathways for young athletes.