Toni Kroos also booed
Audience in Saudi Arabia disrupts minute’s silence for Beckenbauer
January 11, 2024, 6:52 a.m
Franz Beckenbauer dies on Sunday at the age of 78. The world of football is in mourning. Before the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup between Real and Atlético Madrid, the emperor will be remembered with a minute’s silence. But the spectators in Riyadh whistled them down. Toni Kroos also faces whistles.
scandal in Saudi Arabia. Before the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid in Riyadh, parts of the audience in Al-Awal Park in Riyadh whistled the minute’s silence for the legend of world football Franz Beckenbauer, who died on Sunday at the age of 78.
The coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone stood on the sidelines, the players hugged each other in the center circle and the stadium management played the Catalan folk song El Cant dels ocells, the song of the birds, as a picture of Franz Beckenbauer in the jersey of the German national team was imagined. Parts of the 25,000 spectators in the stadium whistled clearly audibly.
It didn’t stop there. Toni Kroos, who came on for Luka Modrić in the second half, was also whistled. The German world champion criticized the transfer of young Spanish playmaker Gabri Veiga to Al-Ahli last August. On social media, he described it as “embarrassing” in a post by transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.
“I don’t understand the whistles”
Toni Kroos had previously sharply criticized Saudi Arabia.
(Photo: IMAGO/nogueirafoto)
He had previously criticized the flood of transfers to Saudi Arabia at the time in his podcast “Einfach Mal Luppen”. “Everyone goes there because of the money,” he said, calling the development a “danger to football.” “It’s an incredibly bad role model for a lot of young youth players that money is the motivation.”
The spectators at the home stadium of Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr, who were apparently hurt in their pride, thanked Kroos for these words by whistling every time he touched the ball. The midfielder appeared unmoved at the goal festival and also refrained from celebrating the goal. The former national player, an experienced user of social media, later spoke up on wrote: “It was fun today. Fantastic audience.” His coach Carlo Ancelotti also reported. “I don’t understand the whistles. I really don’t understand them. And I don’t think Kroos does either.”
Saudi Arabia is investing in football
Real Madrid won the game against their local rivals 5-3 after extra time and thus moved into the final of the Supercup. With the exception of the first Corona year 2021, this will be held in Saudi Arabia since 2019. Two Saudi companies, Neom and Red Sea Global, are sponsoring the four-team competition.
The Spanish league is entangled on numerous levels with Saudi Arabia, the rising power in world football. In addition to the well over 100 million euros that the Supercup brings in for the Spanish association, the investor CVC is also connected to the league. The private equity company, co-financed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF, has invested 2.7 billion euros in La Liga. CVC is also said to be a candidate for the German Football League (DFL) when looking for investors.
Saudi Arabia is the designated host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The award is expected to be made official later this year. So far there has been little criticism of it from German football circles.