Jurgen Klopp has dismissed accusations that his Germany side are "not white enough" as "complete nonsense", expressing his disgust at a wave of racist social media commentary that intensified following Germany's 1-0 defeat to Greece in the Nations League last Sunday, the first time Greece had beaten Germany.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Thursday's Nations League match against Serbia in Munich, Klopp made clear he had no intention of engaging with those making the claims.

"There is absolutely no reason to pay attention to these people. You won't get my thoughts on this. I have little time in everyday life for idiocy, and even less on social media," he said.

The controversy was largely driven by politicians from the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, which has seen a significant surge in support in recent years and holds the position of largest opposition party in the Bundestag.

AfD deputy leader Kay Gottschalk shared side-by-side images of West Germany's all-white 1990 World Cup final squad alongside the eight non-white players Klopp selected against Greece, writing that "character traits, certain virtues, and team spirit are cultural values that develop over centuries and are shaped by shared historical experiences."

It is far from the first time the AfD has targeted the national team over its diversity. In 2016, after Germany were eliminated from the European Championship by France, Beatrix von Storch wrote on social media that "perhaps the German national team should play again next time", a remark widely condemned.

In 2024, ahead of the home European Championship, Bjoern Hoecke said he "could no longer identify with the national team", claiming they "were oozing with rainbow ideology."

Klopp said the players assembled at the national team camp, several of whom have migrant backgrounds, "could not be better united than they are."

He pointed to sport as proof that mutual respect remained possible. "The world could learn a thing or two from a sports changing room. There, everyone is respected based on the facts and not discredited based on false opinions," he said.

Since taking charge as national team head coach in July, Klopp has consistently preached unity.

At his first squad announcement press conference, he wore a cap reading "One of 83 million", a reference to the entire German population, and stated his desire to "reclaim the flag" and "reclaim patriotism from the wrong people."