Toni Kroos tears into FIFA and UEFA for treating footballers like ‘puppets’

Toni Kroos tears into FIFA and UEFA for treating footballers like ‘puppets’ by creating new competitions to ‘suck out as much money as possible’ as Real Madrid star warns against the idea of a European Super League

  • Toni Kroos has hit out at FIFA and UEFA for creating lucrative new competitions 
  • He claimed players were being treated like ‘puppets’ by the governing bodies
  • The Real Madrid midfielder also slammed the idea of a European Super League  

Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at FIFA and UEFA, claiming the world and European organising bodies are treating players like ‘puppets’ by expanding tournaments and creating new competitions.

Kroos criticised the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, which he competes in with Germany, as well as FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, which was set to take place in 2021 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘With the invention of all these new things we seem to be just the puppets of FIFA and UEFA,’ Kroos said on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast the player presents with brother and fellow professional Felix.

Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has slammed FIFA and UEFA for creating lucrative tournaments 

UEFA has created the Nations League in a bid to make international football more competitive

UEFA has created the Nations League in a bid to make international football more competitive

‘These competitions are created to suck everything out of every single player physically and to suck out as much money as possible.’

The Nations League started in 2018, with the top side in groups of three advancing to the semi-finals. Portugal won the first incarnation of the tournament in summer 2019 after beating Holland in the final.

The midfielder also lambasted the concept of a European Super League, after Barcelona’s outgoing president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed last month he has agreed to sign the Catalans up to a future league involving the continent’s top teams.

But Kroos believes the players are treated as 'puppets' in the creation of the tournaments

But Kroos believes the players are treated as ‘puppets’ in the creation of the tournaments  

Kroos believes domestic competitions and the Champions League are ‘top products’ that should not be meddled with.

‘When certain things work well it is a good idea to leave them that way,’ he added.

The idea of a European Super League has been discussed for some time but debate around a future competition has arisen amid financial uncertainty in football, with clubs feeling the full force of the coronavirus pandemic.

The potential competition is expected to involve between 16 and 18 teams, and will be played at midweek during the normal European club season.

Meanwhile, FIFA are planning to launch an expanded version of their Club World Cup

Meanwhile, FIFA are planning to launch an expanded version of their Club World Cup 

It would start as a typical league campaign before the top-performing teams would enter a knockout competition to crown a champion.

Kroos also shed some light on his future, with the 30-year-old entering an important stage of his career. He has spent the last seven seasons with Madrid and has enjoyed some trophy-laden years, but admitted he would consider returning to Germany – although he would be happy to end his playing days with Los Blancos. 

‘I always like to go back to Germany because it is my country and it is my language, but I really enjoy life in Madrid and playing for Real Madrid.

‘I have had offers, but I never spoke with other clubs because my idea is to finish my career at Real Madrid.’

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