Everton head coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Jurgen Klopp is seething that Liverpool’s game against Atletico Madrid was allowed to go ahead despite the Covid-19 crisis, labelling it a ‘criminal act’.
The Champions League holders exited the competition at the start of March after Atletico shocked Liverpool in extra-time, winning 4-2 on aggregate, though at the time the game was played, several leagues around Europe had already been called off.
The Premier League followed suit a few days later, with the defeat to Atletico Liverpool’s last game, but Klopp feels it should not have taken place in those circumstances given the seriousness of the pandemic.
Speaking about the last-16 game going ahead with a full stadium of fans, Ancelotti revealed to Corriere dello Sport: ‘I heard from Klopp the other day, he told me that going ahead with the game in those conditions was a criminal act, I think he was right.’
He continued: ‘We are all living a life that we are not used to and that will change us profoundly. I’m sure we will all have to downsize, starting with football.
‘Today, the priority is health, limiting the contagion. When you start again, when you finish, the dates… believe me, I don’t care. At the moment, that’s the last thing on my mind.
‘I hear talk about cutting salaries, suspension of payments. They seem like inopportune solutions.
‘Soon the economy will change, and that’s at all levels: The TV rights will be less, players and coaches will earn less, tickets will cost less because people will have less money.
‘I repeat, what matters now is to fight the virus effectively. Then, of course, if it will be possible to continue the season… otherwise, amen.’
