Jürgen Klopp honoured with German-British friendship award
Jürgen Klopp, the manager of English football club Liverpool FC, is the first to receive the German-British friendship award for his services to German-British relations. The award, established by the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany (BCCG) and the British Embassy in Berlin, honours the commitment and dedication to the special relationship and friendship between the two countries.
Jürgen Klopp said after receiving the award: “I am very happy and honoured to receive this award, which I am accepting on behalf of all Germans living in the UK. I fall in love with Britain when I was 18 years old travelling through the countryside with an interrail pass. Today I feel very happy to live in England with my family and if I can help building bridges between our two nations then I am more than happy to do so. We have amazing people on both sides of the channel, and we need to keep working closely together.”
Alex Altmann, a partner at London based accounting firm Blick Rothenberg and a Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany, says: “Jürgen Klopp is a shining example of what the people of our two countries can achieve together. Jürgen has excited, inspired, and connected people across Britain and Germany and has achieved outstanding results. We are proud to award Jürgen with this symbolic and prestigious award.”
Altmann adds: “Brexit requires the UK and Germany to renew their special relationship. Economic and cultural development is only possible if people can move freely and take up opportunities. We need to do much more to encourage people to travel, study and work in order to benefit from the wealth of opportunities our two countries have to offer. And we need to remove unnecessary barriers of trade, including customs and other tax barriers, for our businesses.”
The award ceremony was part of a festive gala reception on 3 September at the home of football club Borussia Dortmund, Jürgen Klopp’s former team, the Signal Iduna stadium in Dortmund. Among the 300 invited guests were HE Jill Gallard CMG, British Ambassador to Germany, and Lord Simon McDonald of Salford KCMG.
