Liverpool have taken the unusual step of leaving Xherdan Shaqiri out of their Champions League trip to Red Star Belgrade to avoid any negative attention from the Serbian crowd.
Swiss star Shaqiri was born in Kosovo and angered the Serbs when he had his nation’s flag stitched to his boots during their World Cup meeting – and Liverpool have decided not to risk escalating the situation again.
Jurgen Klopp has reviewed what affect playing Shaqiri in Belgrade could have on the game, and feels that it would only serve to incite the home crowd and make life more difficult for the visitors.
“We have heard and read the speculation and talk about what kind of reception Shaq would receive and although we have no idea what would happen, we want to go there and be focused 100 per cent on football and not have to think about anything else, that’s all,” Klopp told the club’s website.
“We are Liverpool FC, a big club, a football team but we don’t have any message further than that. We have no political message, absolutely not. We want the focus to be on a great game of football, free from anything else.
“We are keen to be respectful and keen to avoid any distractions that would take focus away from a 90-minute-plus contest that is important for football and only football. So for that reason, Shaq is not involved and he accepts and understands this. Shaq is our player, we love him, and he will play for us a lot of times, but not on Tuesday.
“I have heard so many wonderful things about the city of Belgrade, and the country of Serbia as a whole, from friends and colleagues who’ve visited before, so now I’m really looking forward to taking Liverpool there for a great game of Champions League football.”
