Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz renewed his demands for equal pay before the international match of the German soccer team against Sweden.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to advocate equal bonuses for national players. “I stay on the ball and I will continue to do so,” said Scholz before the start of the women’s international match between Germany and Sweden in Duisburg on ZDF. According to Scholz, the willingness to talk about these things has increased: “That’s a good sign.”
The SPD politician had previously exchanged views with national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and DFB President Bernd Neuendorf. The fact that Scholz took the time for the first international match of the year was a “strong sign at the start of this sportingly important World Cup year,” said Voss-Tecklenburg.
Scholz is committed to equal bonuses
During the EURO last summer, Scholz publicly campaigned for equal tournament bonuses for national players. After the European Championship final against England (1:2 aet) in Wembley, the SPD politician paid a visit to the runners-up European champions. During a DFB visit in August, he renewed his request.
The unequal bonuses were a big topic at the 2022 women’s European Championship in England, and the Chancellor also got involved. The DFB women would have received 60,000 euros per player for the title. For men, 400,000 were offered at the European Championships the year before. There would have been the same sum for every player for a World Cup triumph in Qatar, but the German men failed in the preliminary round last year.
Equal pay is already a reality in other countries. In Spain, women also get the same pay as in US soccer. Most recently, the Welsh federation announced in January that it would pay men and women equally and thus draw level with the English and Irish federations.
Scholz praises Popp’s statement on Saudi sponsorship
Scholz was also asked on ZDF about the discussions about possible sponsorship of the women’s world cup in the summer by the Saudi Arabian tourism authority. The two hosts New Zealand and Australia had sharply criticized it. Scholz called the statements by players like Alexandra Popp or the American Alex Morgan, who had also criticized the decision, “impressive and precise statements”.
However, Scholz did not want to take a stand himself. According to Scholz, he tried to find out more in advance, but did not receive confirmation of the sponsorship commitment. “So maybe it’s not wise to comment on it.” According to a report by the portal “The Athletic”, Visit Saudi will be a partner of the World Cup tournament in Australia and New Zealand from July 20th to August 20th.