Jurgen Klopp Reveals He's 'Really Happy' for Mamadou Sakho After WADA Apology

Jurgen Klopp has expressed his delight regarding the recent apology made by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) to Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho.

Sakho was making a real impression at Anfield before he was wrongfully suspended for 30 days in 2016 after it was claimed he had taken a substance that was prohibited. It was later found that he had done nothing wrong, but the damage had already been done, as he was unable to feature in the Europa League final and at the European Championships that year as well.

WADA recently made a public apology to Sakho and the player received 'substantial damages' as a result of the incident. Now, Liverpool boss Klopp has revealed he is delighted to see Sakho have his name officially cleared.

"My initial thought was ‘finally!’", Klopp said ahead of the Reds' tussle with Manchester City on Sunday, as quoted by the Mirror. "We all knew it for a long time already that Mama did nothing wrong. It was a massive, massive blow.

"Not only couldn’t he play the Europa League final, but he couldn’t play in the Euros as well if I’m not mistaken. I’m really happy for Mama that he got at least now the evidence that he did nothing wrong and it’s a very important thing."

Klopp further insisted that Sakho's eventual Anfield exit had nothing to do with his doping ban, instead it was due to disciplinary issues. The now Palace man was sent home from a pre-season tour of the United States after serving his ban and didn't feature at all for the Reds' senior side in the first half of the 2016/17 season. He was then loaned to Palace, before the move was made permanent.

But with Sakho's name now officially cleared, Klopp has expressed his delight at the news. Sakho's Palace side currently sit 13th in the Premier League, but could climb the table if they come away with a positive result from their clash with Leeds United on Saturday.