Jurgen Klopp has introduced a strict new code of conduct for the German national football team, banning mobile phones during treatment and stopping players from flying personal hairdressers into their hotel rooms.
The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund manager took charge of the national side in the summer of 2026 on a four-year contract. He is moving quickly to overhaul the squad culture and restore discipline to a team that has struggled in recent years.
According to the German newspaper Bild, Klopp has laid down four strict rules for his players when they report for international duty. The new measures mark a sharp departure from the more relaxed regime of his predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann.
Klopp built his reputation on creating tightly knit, fiercely loyal squads during his highly successful club career. He won the Premier League and the Champions League by demanding total commitment from his players, and he is now attempting to replicate that intense environment at the international level.
Under the new guidelines, players are required to eat all their meals together at a specific, designated time.
During Nagelsmann's tenure, members of the squad would frequently eat in smaller cliques and groups without any fixed schedule. Klopp has ended this practice in a direct bid to foster greater unity and interaction across the entire squad.
Mobile phone ban
Klopp has also cracked down heavily on screen time within the squad's inner sanctum. Mobile phones are now completely prohibited in the dressing room in the hours leading up to matches.
The ban also extends to the treatment room during massages and into the gym during weightlifting sessions. The objective is to force players to converse with one another rather than looking at their screens, building the team cohesion that Klopp views as essential for success.
This approach mirrors the environment Klopp cultivated at his previous clubs, where a strong collective spirit was treated as being just as important as tactical preparation.
Hotel haircuts
In one of the more striking changes to player privileges, German internationals will no longer be allowed to have their personal barbers visit them at the team hotel to style their hair before games.
Players who want a fresh haircut to ensure they look their best for a match must now make their own arrangements. All haircuts must be completed during the players' free time before they join up with the national squad.
The move is seen as an attempt to remove distractions from the team camp and keep the focus entirely on football, rather than personal branding or appearances.
Family visits restricted
Access for players' families and partners will also be heavily scaled back under the new regime.
While family members will still be permitted to visit players during the extended periods away required for major international tournaments, these visits will be much more strictly regulated than they were in previous years.
There will be strictly designated time windows for family visits, but these windows will be fewer in number and less frequent than they were in the past.
Rebuilding the team
The comprehensive overhaul comes as Klopp attempts to arrest a prolonged and alarming decline in the fortunes of the four-time world champions.
Germany was long considered a superpower of international football, famously winning their fourth World Cup in Brazil in 2014. However, the team has endured a miserable run at recent major tournaments and lost its aura of invincibility.
The national side suffered humiliating group stage eliminations at both the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar, failing to advance to the knockout rounds on both occasions despite boasting squads full of elite talent.
Their fortunes did not improve significantly at the expanded 2026 World Cup held across North America. Despite high expectations, the team was eliminated early once again, crashing out in the round of 32.
Klopp is now tasked with rebuilding the confidence and culture of the team over his four-year term, as he looks to return the country to the summit of the sport ahead of the next cycle of major tournaments.
