Jurgen Klopp ‘hoping every second’ for Thai boys’ rescue

By Bianca Britton and Sean Coppack, CNN
Updated 12:30 PM EDT, Thu July 5, 2018
"We are you with you, you will never walk alone," Klopp tells the Thai soccer team.
"We are you with you, you will never walk alone," Klopp tells the Thai soccer team.
PHOTO: CNN
(CNN) —  

Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp has sent a message of hope to the soccer team trapped in a Thai cave.

“On behalf of the whole LFC family we wish you from the bottom of our hearts all the best,” said Klopp in an video message sent to CNN Sport.

“Stay strong and we are with you. We are following all the news and hoping every second that you see the daylight again.”

The 12 boys, aged between 11 and 16 years old, entered the cave on June 23 with their soccer coach, only to become stranded in the dark tunnels by a sudden and continuous downpour.

It took rescuers nine days to finally locate the missing soccer team after having to navigate tight and flooded passages.

Efforts continue as rescuers try and formulate a plan to get the boys out before flood waters rise any higher – according to a medical assessment it was too dangerous to try to move the group out Thursday.

“We are all very optimistic that will happen in the next few – hopefully – minutes, hours or next day,” Klopp said.

“Stay strong, best regards here from Liverpool. We are you with you, you will never walk alone,” adds Liverpool’s German manager in reference to the song Liverpool fans sing before every home match at Anfield.

The rescued team attends a news conference in Chiang Rai, Thailand, after being discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, July 18.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
The rescued team attends a news conference in Chiang Rai, Thailand, after being discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, July 18.
PHOTO: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images
Members of the soccer team greet well-wishers as they arrive for the news conference on July 18.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Members of the soccer team greet well-wishers as they arrive for the news conference on July 18.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
The team poses with a sketched portrait of Saman Kunan, a former Thai Navy SEAL who died on July 6 while returning from an operation to deliver oxygen tanks to the cave. He ran out of air while underwater, an official said.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
The team poses with a sketched portrait of Saman Kunan, a former Thai Navy SEAL who died on July 6 while returning from an operation to deliver oxygen tanks to the cave. He ran out of air while underwater, an official said.
PHOTO: Thailand's Ministry of Health and the Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital via AP
Thai Navy SEALs pose for a photo after the rescue effort was finished on July 10. One of them was a doctor who stayed with the team for a week after the group was found alive on July 2.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai Navy SEALs pose for a photo after the rescue effort was finished on July 10. One of them was a doctor who stayed with the team for a week after the group was found alive on July 2.
PHOTO: Thai Navy Seal Handout
Rescuers carry one of the boys out of the cave.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescuers carry one of the boys out of the cave.
PHOTO: Thai Navy Seals
Divers wave through floodwaters in the cave. Each rescue took multiple hours.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Divers wave through floodwaters in the cave. Each rescue took multiple hours.
PHOTO: Thai Navy Seals
Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn speaks during a news conference held after the rescue was finished on July 10.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn speaks during a news conference held after the rescue was finished on July 10.
PHOTO: YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images
A helicopter transports rescued boys to the hospital on July 10.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
A helicopter transports rescued boys to the hospital on July 10.
PHOTO: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
People watch and cheer as a helicopter flies toward an airstrip to transport one of the rescued boys to a hospital. Four boys were rescued on July 8, another four were rescued on July 9, and the rest were rescued on July 10.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
People watch and cheer as a helicopter flies toward an airstrip to transport one of the rescued boys to a hospital. Four boys were rescued on July 8, another four were rescued on July 9, and the rest were rescued on July 10.
PHOTO: Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Rescue workers leave after all members of the team had been saved.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescue workers leave after all members of the team had been saved.
PHOTO: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/EFE
This photo tweeted by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk shows rescue efforts during the three-day mission. Musk tweeted early July 10 that he had visited the cave and left a mini-submarine there for future use.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
This photo tweeted by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk shows rescue efforts during the three-day mission. Musk tweeted early July 10 that he had visited the cave and left a mini-submarine there for future use.
PHOTO: AP
Members of the Royal Thai Navy are pictured with the team inside the cave.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Members of the Royal Thai Navy are pictured with the team inside the cave.
PHOTO: Navy Seals/UPI/Newscom
The boys received medical attention after being found alive on July 2.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
The boys received medical attention after being found alive on July 2.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page via AP
An ambulance believed to be carrying one of the rescued boys heads to the hospital on July 10.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
An ambulance believed to be carrying one of the rescued boys heads to the hospital on July 10.
PHOTO: Vincent Thian/AP
Rescuers walk toward the entrance of the cave as rescue operations resumed on July 10.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescuers walk toward the entrance of the cave as rescue operations resumed on July 10.
PHOTO: Sakchai Lalit/AP
Hospital staff and a police officer are seen during a news conference that was held on July 10. The eight boys that had been rescued on July 8 and 9 were being treated in an isolation ward in a Chiang Rai hospital.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Hospital staff and a police officer are seen during a news conference that was held on July 10. The eight boys that had been rescued on July 8 and 9 were being treated in an isolation ward in a Chiang Rai hospital.
PHOTO: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/EFE
Thai police and military officers use umbrellas to shield a rescued boy before he was transported to a hospital on July 9.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai police and military officers use umbrellas to shield a rescued boy before he was transported to a hospital on July 9.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
An ambulance exits the cave area on July 9.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
An ambulance exits the cave area on July 9.
PHOTO: YE AUNG THU/AFP/Getty Images
Emergency responders surround a helicopter on July 8.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Emergency responders surround a helicopter on July 8.
PHOTO: RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Rescue teams arrange a water-pumping system at the cave
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescue teams arrange a water-pumping system at the cave's entrance on July 7.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy/Handout/AP
Ambulances wait outside a hospital where the rescued boys were treated.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Ambulances wait outside a hospital where the rescued boys were treated.
PHOTO: PONGMANAT TASIRI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Thai military personnel walk into a cave during rescue operations.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai military personnel walk into a cave during rescue operations.
PHOTO: ROYAL THAI NAVY/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE
Military personnel work inside a cave.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Military personnel work inside a cave.
PHOTO: ROYAL THAI NAVY /HANDOUT/EPA-EFE
An ambulance leaves the scene of the rescue effort on July 8.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
An ambulance leaves the scene of the rescue effort on July 8.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
This undated photo, released via the Thailand Navy SEAL Facebook page, shows rescuers with their hands locked. The caption said, "We Thai and the international teams join forces to bring the young Wild Boars home." The Wild Boars is the name of the soccer team the boys play on.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
This undated photo, released via the Thailand Navy SEAL Facebook page, shows rescuers with their hands locked. The caption said, "We Thai and the international teams join forces to bring the young Wild Boars home." The Wild Boars is the name of the soccer team the boys play on.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy/Handout/AP
Family members pray in front of a Buddhist statue near the cave on July 8.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Family members pray in front of a Buddhist statue near the cave on July 8.
PHOTO: Sakchai Lalit/AP
Emergency workers carry oxygen tanks as rescue operations begin.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Emergency workers carry oxygen tanks as rescue operations begin.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy/Handout/CNN
Thai soldiers work to connect pipes that help water from entering a cave.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai soldiers work to connect pipes that help water from entering a cave.
PHOTO: Sakchai Lalit/AP
Thai forest rangers examine a map as they review their rescue options on July 8.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai forest rangers examine a map as they review their rescue options on July 8.
PHOTO: RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA-EFE
This image, taken from video on July 2, shows the team trapped inside the cave. That was the day divers found them alive.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
This image, taken from video on July 2, shows the team trapped inside the cave. That was the day divers found them alive.
PHOTO: Xinhua/Sipa
Divers were able to bring food, blankets and other supplies to the boys while experts determined the best way to get them out safely. The team was found around two kilometers (1.24 miles) into the cave and somewhere between 800 meters to one kilometer below the surface, according to a British Cave Rescue Council briefing note.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Divers were able to bring food, blankets and other supplies to the boys while experts determined the best way to get them out safely. The team was found around two kilometers (1.24 miles) into the cave and somewhere between 800 meters to one kilometer below the surface, according to a British Cave Rescue Council briefing note.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy/EPA
The team was found alive by British divers. The search brought rescue teams from all over the world.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
The team was found alive by British divers. The search brought rescue teams from all over the world.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy
A Thai military medic provides first aid to one of the boys.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
A Thai military medic provides first aid to one of the boys.
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy
The body of Saman Kunan, a former Thai Navy SEAL, is carried during a repatriation and religious rites ceremony on July 6. Kunan died Friday as he returned from an operation to deliver oxygen tanks to the cave. He ran out of air while underwater, an official said.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
The body of Saman Kunan, a former Thai Navy SEAL, is carried during a repatriation and religious rites ceremony on July 6. Kunan died Friday as he returned from an operation to deliver oxygen tanks to the cave. He ran out of air while underwater, an official said.
PHOTO: AP
Thai police take a break for breakfast as rescue operations continue on July 4.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai police take a break for breakfast as rescue operations continue on July 4.
PHOTO: Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images
Water is pumped out of the cave on July 3.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Water is pumped out of the cave on July 3.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
Workers fix the road leading to the cave on July 3.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Workers fix the road leading to the cave on July 3.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Divers prepare a light to be used for the underwater search on July 2.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Divers prepare a light to be used for the underwater search on July 2.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
Rescue workers wait at the entrance to the cave on July 2.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescue workers wait at the entrance to the cave on July 2.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
Some of the team
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Some of the team's family members celebrate after receiving news that the team was alive.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Technicians lift water pumps to the drilling site on July 1.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Technicians lift water pumps to the drilling site on July 1.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers and rescuers work outside the cave complex on July 1.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Soldiers and rescuers work outside the cave complex on July 1.
PHOTO: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters/Newscom
Monks attend a Buddhist prayer for the team on July 1.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Monks attend a Buddhist prayer for the team on July 1.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Scuba tanks are delivered to the search site on July 1.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Scuba tanks are delivered to the search site on July 1.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
Rescue workers carry water-pumping equipment into the cave on July 1.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescue workers carry water-pumping equipment into the cave on July 1.
PHOTO: Linh Pham/Getty Images
A Thai Air Force worker drops near a possible cave opening on June 30.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
A Thai Air Force worker drops near a possible cave opening on June 30.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
British cave diver Robert Charles Harper explores an opening on June 29.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
British cave diver Robert Charles Harper explores an opening on June 29.
PHOTO: Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn/AFP/Getty Images
Relatives of the trapped team members pray on June 27.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Relatives of the trapped team members pray on June 27.
PHOTO: Sakchai Lalit/AP
Family members waited more than a week for news of their loved ones.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Family members waited more than a week for news of their loved ones.
PHOTO: Sakchai Lalit/AP
Thai soldiers bring hoses and additional water pumps as the search for the team continued on June 27.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai soldiers bring hoses and additional water pumps as the search for the team continued on June 27.
PHOTO: Sakchai Lalit/AP
Volunteer paramedics wait near the cave entrance on June 27.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Volunteer paramedics wait near the cave entrance on June 27.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
A rescuer looks for a cave entrance on June 27.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
A rescuer looks for a cave entrance on June 27.
PHOTO: Thailand Department of National Parks and Wildlife/AP
Rescuers search the cave on June 26.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Rescuers search the cave on June 26.
PHOTO: Stringer/Reuters/Newscom
Thai soldiers relay cable at the search site on June 26.
Photos: Photos: Thai soccer team rescued from cave
Thai soldiers relay cable at the search site on June 26.
PHOTO: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images

Champions League finalists Liverpool is one of the most popular teams in Thailand having toured there in the past and the club also has a dedicated Thai language website.

Football world urges boys to ‘be strong’

Klopp’s message comes after Real Madrid and Brazilian star Ronaldo told reporters at a FIFA media event that the “football world hopes that someone can find a way” to extract the boys.

FIFA also told CNN Sport that it was in close contact with the Football Association of Thailand over the boys’ plight.

“We hope that with the help of the rescue team, the boys and their coach will be brought safely out of the cave so that they can be reunited with their families,” the governing body said in a statement.

Meanwhile the Croatian Football Federation and its national team, which is in the World Cup quarterfinals, say they “are awed by the bravery and strength that these young boys and their coach have shown amidst such frightening circumstances.

“These are situations that are bigger than sports, but their sporting competitiveness will help them cope with the current challenge.”