'Reclaim the flag': Klopp wants Germany to wrestle national pride from 'wrong people'

[p]Speaking at a press conference [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/jurgen-klopp-names-44-players-in-huge-germany-squad-as-16-receive-first-call-ups/UmMtqCi5/"]to unveil a 44-man split squad[/a] for upcoming Nations League matches, Klopp said ‌Germans should feel able to express pride in their country without being ‌associated with extremism.[/p][p][b]"I don't want to leave national pride to the wrong people,"[/b] said Klopp, one ‌of the country's most prominent public figures.[/p][p]Without mentioning the AfD by name, ‌he added that he would like to [b]"reclaim the flag."[/b][/p][p][b]"I want it so that when someone waves it, no one thinks: 'What is wrong with you?'," [/b]said Klopp.[/p][p][b]"Instead, I want people to understand: You are ‌happy and realise how lucky you were to be born, ⁠grow up, or move to this wonderful ‌country,"[/b] he said.[/p][p]The AfD trounced mainstream parties to win an election in the eastern state ​of Saxony-Anhalt on September 6th, and could form the first far-right government at state level in postwar Germany there. It could also top the polls ​in another state election this weekend.[/p][p][b]"There have been an incredible number of things happening recently: an election took place which some people probably thought was fine, whilst many ⁠others thought, 'Good heavens, what on ​earth is going on?',"[/b] Klopp said.[/p][image alt="Germany's upcoming matches" id="20319c6a-0133-4f5e-9a77-964a79de8b5f" credit-line="Flashscore" hidden-attrs="alt, credit" guid="6b747f56-02f0-4a74-8a1d-e539109fc863" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]An AfD spokesperson said the party would issue a statement later on Thursday.[/p][h2]'Positive patriotism'[/h2][p]German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said he shared Klopp's view, saying the German flag - with its three horizontal stripes in black, red and ‌gold - was not a symbol of exclusion or arrogance.[/p][p][b]"People can be proud of this country, regardless of whether they were born here, have immigrated here, or their family has lived here for generations,"[/b] he told Reuters.[/p][p][b]"National pride and an open-minded attitude towards the world are not mutually exclusive."[/b][/p][p]Wearing a cap with an Adidas logo in the colours of the German flag, Klopp acknowledged the sensitivity of patriotism in a country that has long viewed overt displays of national pride through the prism of its Nazi past.[/p][p]The former [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] manager, who begins his [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]Germany[/a][/b] tenure [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/germany-ptQide1O/netherlands-WYintcWb/?mid=YTiXRfng"]against the Netherlands on September ‌24th[/a], said he preferred the term "positive patriotism" to "national pride", which he feared could be ​misunderstood.[/p][embed guid="79eb5313-8c10-48f1-8b0e-dc83ea6e8629" url="https://x.com/footballontnt/status/2100517655950033321" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"Can you be proud to be German and still be open, diverse, ‌nice and friendly - can you still show compassion?"[/b] Klopp said.[/p][p][b]"I am 100 per cent certain: Yes!"[/b][/p][p]The secretary general of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, Franziska Hoppermann, welcomed Klopp's call to not leave Germany's symbols to the extremists.[/p][p]"We all should, and are allowed to, wear our national colours with pride and confidence as symbols of ⁠our freedom," she told Reuters.[/p]