On this day in 2016, Liverpool fans staged a mass walkout during a game that Jurgen Klopp was unable to attend due to a hospitalization
When things become difficult, Liverpool fans always seem to be able to band together to send a message to the forces that be.
That occurred in April 2021, with the attempted foundation of a European Super League. The reaction from Reds fans was so powerful that Fenway Sports Group CEO John W. Henry issued a video apology.
This is not the first time the club’s owners have had to backtrack after acknowledging a mistake. This was also true on this day in 2016.
That day, Liverpool was hosting Sunderland in the Premier League at Anfield. But what was going on off the field was taking precedence over what was going on on the field.
Earlier this week, the club announced modifications to the match ticket pricing structure. Prices for ordinary match tickets would have risen from £59 to £77, and a £1,000 season ticket would have been launched for the following season.
The club said that the arrangement provided greater accessibility and affordability for fans. This included 45% of match tickets being decreased in price, 64% of season tickets being dropped or remaining the same in price, improved availability for local supporters, and about 1,500 £9 tickets for category C games.
This did not sit well with many Liverpool fans. They did, in fact, vote with their feet against Sunderland. By the 69th minute, Liverpool had taken a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from James Milner and Roberto Firmino.
Everything changed in the 77th minute, however. A big number of fans, estimated to be approximately 10,000, rose from their seats and exited, with long lines forming towards the exit.
Before fans filed out, yells from the Kop were heard directed at the owners. “Enough is enough, you selfish b******s, enough is enough,” one chant could be heard.
This elicited cheers from fans in all four corners of Anfield, with even some Sunderland fans applauding the Liverpool crowd’s loyalty. The remaining audience then sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ with significant gaps in the stands where vacant seats had developed.
Jurgen Klopp was not there for that game. He’d been rushed to the hospital that weekend for appendix surgery.
As a result, the team was led by assistants Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz. Klopp returned to press conference duty just a few days after having an appendectomy, giving an update on his health.
“I’m in a nice mood. “A lot of people have had this before,” Klopp stated two days after the Sunderland game on February 8.
“I’m grateful to our doctor because he advised me to go to the hospital when I wasn’t sure.
“Because the hospital doctor was a season ticket holder, he too missed the game.”
But when the subject of the questions came up during the mass walkout, Klopp’s tone changed. He no longer smiled, but he was disappointed by what had happened at Anfield during his absence.
“I heard about this situation, but I’ve had a lot on my plate in the last few weeks, but now I know it’s also my problem,” Klopp explained.
“But anything I say now would only complicate matters because I need to get a few pieces of information first.
“What I do know is that everyone in the club is really interested in finding a solution to this problem.
“We don’t want anyone leaving the stadium before the game is over.
“That’s all I have to say about it, but I was sad when I heard about it (the walkout).”
In the broad scheme of things that night, the outcome of the match didn’t seem to matter all that much. With Liverpool leading 2-0 and cruising, the walkout signaled a shift in the game’s momentum.
Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Adam Johnson and Jermain Defoe in the final five minutes. But there were much bigger issues on the minds of the Liverpool fans, and the club’s owners were perfectly aware of it, if they weren’t already.
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