A newly surfaced video angle has provided insight into the sideline disagreement between Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah, suggesting that the altercation stemmed from Salah unintentionally overlooking Klopp’s offered handshake.
Salah, who was not in the starting lineup for Liverpool’s 2-2 away game against West Ham, was set to join Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez in entering the match with about 15 minutes left and Liverpool in the lead.
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However, as the substitution was pending, Michail Antonio scored for West Ham, equalizing the game. Subsequently, a visibly upset Salah was seen engaging in a heated discussion with Klopp on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old forward seemed to react to a remark from his manager by gesturing animatedly and at one point had to be separated from Klopp by Nunez.
Initially, the cause of the dispute was not apparent, but the new footage from a spectator’s perspective has clarified the situation.
Salah, after being cleared by the fourth official, walked towards the sideline to join the game but apparently missed Klopp’s handshake, which may have been the inadvertent trigger for their heated moment.
Another angle pic.twitter.com/EE6IvxFOIU
— عارف عبدالعزيز (@Arif_AT8) April 27, 2024
While Salah was adjusting his equipment, Klopp approached with a fist bump, which led to a misunderstanding regarding a missed handshake. Salah seemed to defend himself, indicating he hadn’t noticed his manager’s gesture.
The disagreement was captured on camera, showing Klopp subsequently engaging warmly with Nunez and Gomez, in contrast to the interaction with Salah.
As the match resumed and West Ham advanced, Klopp made another comment to Salah, which seemed to upset the player, causing teammates to step in.
Klopp refrained from elaborating on the sideline dispute but suggested that the issue was resolved after a conversation with Salah post-match.
‘We spoke already in the dressing room and for me it’s done for me. That’s all and that is it,’ explained the German coach, who is leaving Liverpool at the end of the campaign.
When asked if Salah was okay with the situation, Klopp added: ‘That was my impression, yes.’
But, the Egyptian star does not appear to have moved on just yet and made a pointed comment to journalists as he left the stadium to board the team bus, refusing to give an interview but saying: ‘There’s going to be fire today if I speak.’
