German football legend and former president of Bayern Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, directed harsh criticism towards football players, after the growing controversy over the intense marathon format of the matches and the large number of official competitions that prevent players from regaining their breath and cause a succession of injuries and a lot of psychological pressure placed on them.
At a time when many football stars and legends took to attacking the International Federation (FIFA) regarding the pressure placed on players and demanding the cancellation of some official competitions, most notably the 2025 Club World Cup, the former German football star and former European Club Association president Rummenigge (69 years old) did the opposite. ), the movement to declare the responsibility of the players in what is currently happening.
Rummenigge said that he blames the players for the controversy surrounding the crazy pace of matches and successive injuries due to the high pressure of competitions from year to year.
He added in statements to the German newspaper Kicker: “The players got themselves into trouble, and no one wronged them. It is a trap that the players and their advisors fell into to some extent.”
The former top scorer for the German national team continued: “Players are looking for money and an increase in wages by demanding higher salaries than they were in the past. In doing so, they are forcing the clubs to achieve greater revenues than ever before. Where do those profits come from? From the increase in matches, of course, and from participation.” Uncompromising in all competitions.”
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge continued his speech by saying: “All concerned parties must meet and calmly discuss the mechanisms necessary to return to more rational times, but without the players expressing a contradiction between increasing their salaries and putting pressure on the match calendar.”
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is facing a lot of criticism from players and clubs about the deadly format of matches, while calls continue to cancel the 2025 Club World Cup.
