Klopp cheers on friend and the Paralympics

Wojtek Czyz was soundly beaten in the para badminton but his long-time friend was on hand to offer support

- Paul MacInnes

As Great Britain's Daniel Bethell eased to a A group stage win in the SL3 badminton over New Zealand's Wojtek Czyz yesterday afternoon, there was a keen observer in the stands. Jürgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager and world's most famous man-on-acareer-break was there to cheer on his friend Czyz, but also extol the virtues of the Paralympic Games.

Czyz is a former professional footballer who sustained an injury at 21 that required his left leg to be amputated at the knee.

He is a former Paralympic long jump champion for Germany, a man who sailed around the world on a catamaran while building prosthetics, the owner of an antipodean honey company and now an elite para badminton athlete despite having dedicated himself to the sport only three years ago at the age of 41.

"He's too crazy," Klopp said of his friend who was beaten 21-5, 21-2 by Bethell. "We are completely different. He's constantly doing things I'm not brave enough to do. He told me only yesterday how easy it is to dive with sharks and I said: 'Yeah, I heard it now, I still don't do it.'

"How was it to watch him? Great, I enjoyed all five points. He's 44, by the way. I stood next to Elena [Brambilla-Czyz], his incredible wife, and we had tears in our eyes.