Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has started a public row with former Spurs midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
It comes after van der Vaart slammed Liverpool and Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk after the Dutch drew their World Cup opener with Japan last week.
Van der Vaart, who played for Spurs between 2010 and 2012, is working for Dutch broadcaster NOS at the World Cup.
Van der Vaart, capped 109 times for the Netherlands, criticised van Dijk’s turning after conceding late to Japan, drawing comparisons to Boeing’s clunky 747 aeroplane.
‘I must honestly say that I was a bit shocked by Van Dijk. That turning… It was a bit of a Boeing 747. I hope he will run a little faster during the tournament’, Van der Vaart said.
But appearing on German TV on Saturday as the Netherlands beat Sweden 5-1 to all-but qualify for the knockouts, former Liverpool boss Klopp was quick to jump to his former player Van Dijk’s defence, dismissing Van der Vaart’s assessment as irrelevant.
Ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is caught in a row with former Spurs midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart has caused his fair share of controversy working for Dutch broadcaster NOS at the World Cup.
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Van Dijk played under Klopp at Liverpool for six years – winning eight major honours in their time together – and served as captain during the German’s final season at the club.
‘I don’t know if it’s worth naming Rafael van der Vaart at all’, Klopp said. ‘But if he ever says something positive about a player, I’m willing to take him seriously again.’
‘You have the feeling that he sees something, which then has to be expressed in a flowery way and then he goes against it. But it’s not that important.’
Van der Vaart’s comments on Van Dijk were not the only incident to stir up controversy during NOS TV’s coverage of the Netherlands’ clash with Japan.
The 43-year-old also faced racism allegations after saying that the Japanese players ‘look alike’ while delivering analysis on air.
Discussing Japan’s late goal in the TV studio after the match, Van der Vaart analysed Micky van de Ven’s role in defending the corner.
‘He loses him completely,’ he said. ‘You can see him moving around. If you are the one marking him, then you are responsible for your man. Look, he’s completely unmarked. Van de Ven is nowhere to be seen. He is completely free to make that header.’
Referring to Japan’s players, he later added: ‘They do all look alike of course, perhaps he thought that’.
Van der Vaart later released a statement following the incident, saying his intention was ‘never to insult, hurt, or discriminate against anyone’.
