Jürgen Klopp, the acclaimed football coach who has won titles with two of the world’s top clubs, recently turned his attention to one of the smallest.
The dynamic former manager of Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and England’s Liverpool was in Cape Town to celebrate 10 years of the Hout Bay United Football Community. Residents turned out in numbers at the local harbour where Klopp, donning an “I love Cape Town” shirt, was the attraction at a fundraising event.
It was Klopp’s fifth visit to the city. He says it is not always easy being in Cape Town because people recognise him, but the city fills him with energy.
“I love the weather ... I like the people,” Klopp told the crowd while engaging with their questions.
“I like the way you deal with the situation. Of course, there are still a lot of problems but I appreciate the way you move together,” he said.
It was Klopp’s second time at a fundraising event for the community’s club. His first was in 2017 when he raised more than R300,000. He has contributed financially as well as in other ways.
“This is for a good cause and you paid money to be here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he told the crowd.
Klopp said that during his drive to the event, he saw children playing football in Hout Bay. “It just shows how wonderful this game is.”
Dali Fekenisi, the club’s co-CEO, joined Klopp on stage, presented him with a gift and thanked him for being at the event.
Fekenisi tells the FM that during the first two years of forming the club, it was clear what was needed to make it succeed. “Hout Bay is a microcosm of South Africa. You can see the disparity in terms of the life people are living. If you drive around [the less affluent areas of] Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu, you can see the poverty.”
But when the club plays, the area around the pitch “is packed to capacity. They forget about their challenges and come to the game.”
Fekenisi says the partnership came about through the efforts of Klopp’s agent, who has a house in nearby Llandudno. “He was friends with my colleagues. As a football club, we wanted to grow bigger but we didn’t have a facility. We thought let’s do something that will bring us closer together. That’s when we brought Jürgen here in 2017 and everyone loved the project. Ever since then he has been coming and supporting us.”
Having lived in Hout Bay for more than 20 years, Fekenisi has seen the challenges that children in the community face — one of which is the temptation of illegal diving.
“In Hangberg, we have divers who are luring kids to fish illegally. They come to our players and offer them lots of money. They will put a Rolex on the table and say: ‘If you come and help us there’s more.’ Fortunately, our players come to us. We have to go to the community and explain that football is a safe haven.”
Fekenisi knows that not every young player in Hout Bay will go on to become a professional footballer, but the club tries to ensure that they finish their education. They also have a good relationship with schools in the area.
The club has teams in the third division and the women’s second division and has ambitions to play in the Premier Soccer League.
We are a community club for a reason. We want to change people’s lives. We want to inspire future leaders
— Dali Fekenisi
Fekenisi says Klopp’s support has had a huge impact on the club. “We want to be known for what we are doing in the community. We are a community club for a reason. We want to change people’s lives. We want to inspire future leaders.”
Since he stepped down as Liverpool manager last year, Klopp has become head of global soccer for Red Bull GmbH, the Austrian company that creates the brand’s range of drinks.
“It’s just important that we do something,” says Klopp, “especially in a time where it looks like we only care about ourselves, where one country counts more than another, where we completely forget how important unity is.
“We [are] normal people, we have to deal with daily life. If we do that together it will be much better. Whatever happens out there, stay together. Be kind to one another. I would love that. Then I think we can get through this period where the world looks not that great.”
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