Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Bayern Munich counterpart Niko Kovac have been discussing their touchline confrontation after last night’s goalless draw in the Champions League last-16 first leg.
Klopp appeared to be angry and wagged his finger at Kovac, with the Croatian subsequently grabbing Klopp’s arm.
Both men played down the row, which they said had been sparked by Klopp being forced to wait to shake hands with Kovac while the Bayern coach congratulated his players on the result.
The German was not impressed at being left hanging around until Kovac was ready.
Speaking after the game, he said: “I wanted to shake Niko’s hand immediately and then he went in the crowd of his players. I thought he shakes the whole of Bayern’s hands.
“Then when he came back I said ‘I am waiting’ and he apologised and I said no problem and he wants to apologise again. That’s how it was.”
Kovac confirmed the cause of the dispute, but claimed it was down to different cultural norms between English football and German football.
He said: “That was funny. We were on English soil. In Germany it is normal when games end you shake hands with your players.
“In England, first the coaches shake hands. So I did what I did in Germany, said sorry and made up for it. And in Germany we will do it as we do it in Germany.”
That would suggest Klopp can expect another wait for his handshake when he takes the Reds to Bavaria for the second leg in three weeks’ time.
You can see last night’s confrontation between Klopp and Kovac in the video below.
