The DFB will pay every national player 400,000 euros if they win the World Cup. The bonus is not higher than before, but it also shows how difficult it is to deal with the stressed Qatar World Cup.
Jamal Musiala commented on the agreement on the title bonus for the upcoming World Cup with disarming honesty. The fact that every national player receives 400,000 euros from the DFB in the event of a World Cup win is something he even has “didn’t get much”said Musiala. He cares about the money “never made a big head”according to the Bayern striker, the focus for him is “the love for the sport and the fun of football“.
It would now be out of place to accuse a 19-year-old international of not taking care of his financial situation. Hopefully he has knowledgeable confidants at his side for these things.
400,000 euros prize money at the World Cup in Qatar
Of course, Musiala doesn’t have to apologize for the fact that he’s probably already set things up for life. He earned it himself, with impressive performances on the pitch. The salaries that have gone completely out of control and the sometimes decadent behavior of the industry are well known, and this is also accepted by large parts of the public.
However, the World Cup in Qatar is a special case, even for the dimensions of professional football. And already, two months before kick-off, an event that is polarizing.
The announcement that national players are to receive a prize money of 400,000 euros per capita bursts in the middle of politically turbulent times, with alarming inflation and galloping cost of living.
For weeks, almost every channel has been talking about how people in the country will soon be paying gas bills worth several thousand euros. And that the lights will be turned down in cities, including in public squares known as venues for public viewing.
Winter World Cup in Qatar: Business as usual?
All of this could possibly contribute to not getting enthusiastic about the World Cup party as usual this time. A lot is put into perspective by people in these times. And the stately World Cup bonus for the DFB players could also make those who are otherwise not prone to envy debates to think about whether a success fee in the mid-six-digit range is really appropriate. Even if it’s industry standard.
Not the first debate about bonuses at the DFB
The DFB only did business as usual when negotiating the prize money with the national team. They have not been increased either: The 400,000 euros are exactly the amount that was promised to the players at the European Championship last year for the title.
Nevertheless, the DFB is encountering fundamentally changed social conditions when it comes to this topic: before the European Championships in the summer, for example, the title bonus for the DFB soccer players was doubled to 60,000 euros. Nevertheless, the bonuses remained an issue. The equal pay debate was primarily concerned with aligning the bonuses.
In the end, the Chancellor also called for the national players to be paid the same as the men’s team. As some other national associations have already implemented. A discussion that was repelled by DFB director Oliver Bierhoff for the time being.
Fan representative Minden: “Pass on all income from Qatar”
In dealing with the burdened Qatar World Cup, however, the DFB is also in conflict. Those responsible, like Bierhoff, recently commented on problem areas at the World Cup hosts, such as the oppression of the LGBTQ community.
Dario Minden from the “Our Curve” fan representative called on the DFB to “every euro you earn at this tournament, which is so wrong for so many reasons”, pass on. For example at “Funds that benefit both the disenfranchised and the local LGBTQ community”so Minden on Deutschlandfunk.
For the bonuses that the DFB pays out to the players, whatever the amount, this would certainly also be a model that could set an example.