BVB to keep Klopp until 2018
October 30, 2013
In an announcement posted to the team's website, Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund announced that the man at the helm of the team's renaissance over the past five years had signed a new contract that sees him staying with the club until June 30, 2018.
That would give the 46-year-old Klopp a full decade as the team's coach. His contract had been extended in 2012 to run through to 2016.
"Since we don't want to separate things that belong together, we extended the contract with the head coach and his team," said club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke at a press conference Wednesday in Dortmund.
Steady gains
Since taking over in 2008, Klopp has led Dortmund on a steady march to the top that culminated in 2012 with the team's first-ever double of a Bundesliga championship and a German Cup title.
Last season, Klopp's men made it to the final of the Champions League, where they lost to German rivals Bayern Munich.
"We're still a little in love with this club and the way things have gone here," said Klopp at the press conference.
Borussia Dortmund under Klopp are known for their emotional, high-tempo football and their ability to run the legs off their opponents.
Klopp himself is seen as 'one of the boys' due to his good-humored nature and slightly scruffy appearance on the sidelines and in press conferences.
He has proved to have a short fuse, however, most recently being given a two-match ban by UEFA for an outburst at the fourth official after a Champions League match.
mz/ipj (dpa, sid)