Toni Kroos speaks out against wage cuts

German 2014 world champion Toni Kroos has said he is opposed to the ongoing salary cuts in football.

The debate has been raging for several weeks in world football (and in other sports): sportspeople are asked everywhere to lower their wages in order to limit the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on sport. Thus the Premier League is currently seeking an agreement with the players, while the secretary of the NHS (National Health Service) Matt Hancock, urged the players on Monday to “do their part” in the general financial sacrifice. In Italy, a consensus has been found between all the Serie A clubs, now remains to be accepted by the players.

On the German SWR Sport podcast, Toni Kroos, Real Madrid midfielder and Nationalmannschaft executive, spoke out against the salary cuts. “A waiver is like a gift in vain, or to the club,” he explained. Kroos prefers to think that it is up to everyone to decide whether or not to donate part of their salary, and that these cuts only bail out the clubs, rather than helping those in need. “I am in favor of the salary being paid in full and doing sensible things with it. Everyone is invited to help where it is needed, and there are many places where it is needed. ”

Kroos at the initiative of a 2.5 M € harvest for hospitals

Kroos also expressed concern over the future of football: “Many clubs have run out of income. It will also depend on how long everything stays still. If, for example, football resumes again in May, solutions will surely be found. If it takes until winter, I can imagine that some will no longer exist. ” Kroos also sees it as an opportunity to stop the escalation in club spending, especially on the transfer market: “I doubt that such sums can still be paid. I think all these problems will arise. It’s not too bad because everything has gotten a bit extreme. ”

Kroos was on the initiative with others, on March 19, of a fundraiser from his teammates who won the 2014 World Cup with him, which raised 2.5 million euros for helping the hospital body.

Amy Waters