Turns out that French centre-back Mamadou Sakho keeps breaking the established rules in football, after his doping problems were dismissed, he now presented himself with a disciplinary problem with manager Jurgen Klopp. It doesn't really matter how good of a player he is because, at the end of the day, Klopp will send him to another team if he doesn't respect the rules. The manager revealed why he sent the player back to Liverpool during the pre-season camp.
Talking to the press, Klopp said: "He nearly missed the departure of Liverpool [on the plane from Liverpool to San Francisco], he missed a training session and was late for a team meal. I have to build a group here and we’ve got to start new here. I thought it maybe made sense for him to fly home to Liverpool. We have some rules and we have to respect them – if somebody gives me the feeling they are not respecting it I have to react. After eight or ten days we can talk about it. We had no argument but I spoke - you cannot argue when only one person is speaking."
About a possible punishment, Klopp added: "Fine him? You can ask, and I can explain it in general. I am not interested in the money of the players, actually not really often in my life I have had to fine anybody because I want that we learn together to do the thing that is right. Always it is the same with every group. I don't like fining. Sometimes it's funny, when the fine is bulls***. Come on, pay for it, that's nice. But mistakes, fining never helps. It's not because they care about money, it's always 'yeah in the moment it hurts but after a while not'. So I want them to do the things because they want to do it, that's all."
Photo credit: Liverpool FC