Kaveh Solhekol most likely hasn’t finished himself any favours after publicly disagreeing with Jurgen Klopp on Sky Sports activities.
The revered journalist was responding to feedback the previous Liverpool boss had made concerning the revitalised FIFA Membership World Cup.
The 58-year-old as soon as once more hammered the drum of participant welfare in his evaluation of the post-season match.
“Ultimately, it’s all concerning the recreation and never the encircling elements – and that’s why the Membership World Cup is the worst thought ever carried out in soccer on this regard,” the previous Premier League supervisor informed Welt (by way of TNT Sports activities).
“Individuals who have by no means had something to do with day-to-day enterprise or who not have something to do with it provide you with one thing.
“Final yr we had the Copa America and European Championship, this yr the Membership World Cup and subsequent yr, then, the World Cup.
“This doesn’t imply any actual restoration for the gamers who’re there, neither bodily nor mentally.
“An NBA participant, who additionally earns an enormous wage, has a four-month break yearly. That is what Virgil van Dijk bought in his complete profession.”
Klopp has since taken up a job with Crimson Bull because the vitality drink firm’s Head of World Soccer.
How did Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol reply to Jurgen Klopp?
(Photograph by Alex Grimm/Getty Photographs)
Solhekol urged Klopp to ‘go and play padel or go for a swim’ earlier than lecturing the Champions League-winning former supervisor on the monetary realities of contemporary soccer.
“One factor I’d say to Jurgen Klopp is: Jurgen Klopp is now a really senior determine at Crimson Bull. Does he have an issue with RB Salzburg taking part in on this competitors? I believe RB Salzburg most likely ended up making £20m-30m-40m from turning up and taking part in right here within the group phases,” the Sky Sports activities journalist stated.
“And likewise, let’s get actual. If these golf equipment weren’t taking part in in these tournaments, what would they be doing? They’d most likely be on vacation proper now, however as soon as they’re again from vacation, guess what they’d be doing?
“They’d be coming to America for a pre-season tour, they’d be going to the Far East for a pre-season tour.
“Sadly, soccer isn’t just a sport any extra. Whether or not you prefer it or not, soccer is a enterprise; it’s all about cash now. In the event you don’t prefer it – don’t watch it.”
“In the event you do not just like the Membership World Cup, go and play padel or go for a swim” 🏊
Kaveh Solhekol has some recommendation for Jurgen Klopp after he stated the “Membership World Cup is the worst thought ever carried out in soccer” 🤔 pic.twitter.com/iVngjqBcEJ
— Sky Sports activities Information (@SkySportsNews) June 28, 2025
Look, we’re not all naive right here, and neither is our former boss. Everybody appreciates that soccer has advanced into this ever-insatiable monetary behemoth the place golf equipment are preventing to get near breaking even, by no means thoughts profitability.
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Nevertheless it’s additionally extremely naive, in our view, for commentators to, once more, overlook essentially the most essential a part of Jurgen Klopp’s argument: participant welfare.
Have RB Salzburg benefited from the Membership World Cup? In fact they’ve.
Will the additional video games be conducive to sustaining excessive aggressive requirements in Europe’s prime 5 leagues, in amongst an enormous swathe of home and worldwide video games? Completely not.
Whatever the monetary realities of the game, we absolutely shouldn’t be making an attempt to normalise a actuality the place gamers are merely robotic money cows to be milked for all their value.
Sure, these are extraordinarily well-compensated people who don’t actually perceive the true which means of economic hardship. However does that basically entitle FIFA and UEFA to run them into the bottom?
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