Liverpool’s current USA tour and Sakho’s old fallout
Liverpool's current pre-season tour of the USA is underway. However, one of the club's previous trips Stateside was marred by a falling out between former manager Jurgen Klopp and ex-defender Mamadou Sakho, which was partly caught on camera. Sakho, 36, officially retired from football earlier this year after being without a club since May 2025.
The French defender was brought to Liverpool by ex-manager Brendan Rodgers in September 2013 in a bid to toughen up the club's backline, arriving from Paris Saint-Germain for £18 million . After taking over in October 2015, the following summer marked Klopp's first pre-season with the Reds.
The German was clearly unafraid to make his presence felt among those in the squad who treated strict rules as merely guidance, as Sakho was sent home prematurely from the club's American tour.
The grievance came to light after Sakho was handed a GoPro camera as the Liverpool squad visited Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. As Klopp was being interviewed by club staff, Sakho snuck up and laughed in the background and the German let slip that Sakho had violated a club rule on lateness.
“We could have left Mama Sakho here because he is filming me while I give the interview here,” Klopp said.
Sakho interjected: “I have just one question. How long do you think you can live here?”
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“Actually, I don't have to think about it. You should think about it,” Klopp said back. “Because only one of us came late last night, for departure in Liverpool. It was not me.”
Speaking after Sakho was sent home from the USA, Klopp explained that he thought it might be best for the defender to fly back to Liverpool and then talk things through when the squad returned.
“I thought maybe it made sense for him to fly home to Liverpool and after eight or 10 days, when we come back, we can talk about it. It's not that serious.
“He nearly missed the departure of the plane, he missed a session and was late for a meal. We have some rules and we have to respect them. If somebody doesn't respect it or somebody gives me the feeling he is not respecting it, then I have to react, that's all.
“It is private how he reacted. But we had no argument. You cannot argue when only one person is speaking. That's all. I think missed a session is missed a session. Even injured players have sessions.”
Speaking in France later, Sakho admitted his penchant for tardiness to Canal Football Club, saying that he had been late and accepted the sanction. He said he respected everyone, had paid his fine, apologised and did not want to go into the controversy any further.
“It is true that I turned up late. There was a rule that I should have observed. I do not at all see myself as above the rules, I respect everyone.
“I paid my fine, I was sanctioned, I apologised to my team-mates and my manager. Aside from that… I do not want to go into the controversies.”
Sakho's debut campaign nearly delivered the Reds their first Premier League title in almost 25 years. Yet he featured in just 18 Premier League games as Liverpool's backline leaked 50 goals, ultimately costing them the championship and, while he impressed in Klopp's early days, his career never fully got off the ground at the Reds.
The centre-back's actions in the USA proved to be the breaking point for Klopp, whose patience had worn thin. Sakho was demoted to the Under-23s and never featured for the senior side again.
January 2017 came around and Sakho departed Liverpool, sealing a loan switch to Crystal Palace. Sakho performed so impressively in south London that the Eagles even signed him permanently in the summer of 2017, shelling out £25m. He departed in the summer of 2022.
Sakho later featured for Montpellier and finally for Torpedo Kutaisi in the Georgian first division before calling time on his colourful career.
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