Richard Keys has said on beIN SPORTS that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp should not complain about scheduling to broadcasters.
What’s the story?
Well, Liverpool manager Klopp was not very happy ahead of the match against Watford this weekend.
The Premier League game at Vicarage Road kicked off at 12:30pm on Saturday.
That meant that Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and his Brazil international teammate Fabinho were not available due to their international commitment.
Ahead of the match, Klopp hit out at BT Sports presenter Des Kelly, complaining about broadcasters and scheduling of Liverpool matches.
Richard Keys’s verdict
BeIN SPORTS presenter Keys, formerly of Sky Sports, has hit out at Klopp.
The presenter has said that Klopp – who earns £16 million per year (£307,692 per week) as salary (The Daily Mail) – should not complain about scheduling to broadcasters.
According to Keys, Klopp should take up the issue with the Premier League instead.
Keys said on beIN SPORTS: “It should be with the Premier League. They are a member of the Premier League. This subject still to my knowledge has never raised at a meeting scheduling.
“The broadcasters have every right to schedule as they see fit. They have paid good money for these clubs to be able to do so.
“I am sorry, Jurgen, your problem is with the Premier League, not Watford, not the broadcasters.”
What should Jurgen Klopp do?
In our view, Klopp does have a point about his Liverpool players not getting enough time to train.
We think that scheduling of matches, not just for Liverpool but for other Premier League teams in European competitions as well, could be better.
However, in our view, Klopp needs to discuss the issue with his Liverpool bosses and the Premier League.
Broadcasters such as Sky Sports and BT Sports have paid huge money for the Premier League matches.
They have every right to schedule games as they see fit to cater to their audience.
Perhaps the Premier League should look into how they negotiate TV deals and whether they could have more say in scheduling.
It has to be a combined effort between the Premier League clubs and the broadcasters.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
