Former Bundesliga coach Markus Babbel talks at SPORT1 about the Corona crisis, his personal situation and salary sacrifice by football professionals.
The corona virus doesn’t stop at Australia either. Citizens are now officially forbidden to travel abroad until further notice.
Former Bundesliga coach Markus Babbel (including Hertha BSC and TSG Hoffenheim, who also played for FC Bayern, Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart) continues to live down under after his leave of absence from Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers in January this year. In May, the 47-year-old wanted to return to Germany with his wife. But that will probably not happen for the time being.
In the interview, Babbel talks openly about the Corona crisis, his personal situation, salary cuts by football professionals – and their contract problems at the regular end of the season.
Interviewer: Mr Babbel, how are you doing and how do you see the situation in Europe?
Markus Babbel: My wife and I are still relatively relaxed, of course we and I get to see what’s going on in Germany. In Europe it has other effects. There are about 300 cases in our country. It is not yet so alarming, although now, as in Europe, major events are being cancelled and football matches are only taking place without spectators. The rugby season has begun and there, too, people are considering whether fans should be allowed to attend or not. Friends of ours are now making home offices as in Germany, schools and daycare centres are still open. The Australian has reacted relatively quickly. It must continue somehow.
Interviewer: How is it in the city?
Babbel: It has never been so quiet as it is at the moment. I have rarely seen so few people in Sydney before. On the one hand, it is spooky, because I don’t know it like that, because the city otherwise almost bursts with crowds of people during the day. But on the other hand I enjoy it a little bit at the moment, because there is no one on the way. I can do my errands without standing in long lines in the shops.
Postponement of the EM was right
Interviewer: For the first time in the history of the country, no one is allowed to enter Australia.
Babbel: Only someone may enter if that person then goes into quarantine for 14 days. No matter where you come from. That’s why I had to cancel the flight of my children, they wanted to come during the Easter holidays. But to spend 14 days holidays in quarantine makes little sense. My big daughter is with me right now and there will be the exciting question if and when she can go back home to Germany.
Interviewer: On Tuesday the European Championship was postponed to June 2021. A right decision?
Babbel: Absolutely. If all the dates in the different leagues are to be made up for, then it needs a time window. And if everything is kept as it was, it’s impossible to catch up all the matches. That applies to the whole of Europe. It’s also an exciting story for me, how and when it will continue. It is highly bizarre …
Interviewer: Bizarre?
Babbel: Yes, the idea that the rest of the season might be played in camera. On the other hand you have to consider how much money is involved and how many clubs will have existential problems. It is already a season that will go down in history.
Interviewer: In Germany there is a discussion about salary waiver by professionals. What do you think about it?
Babbel: I think that Mr. Söder (Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, the editor) has demanded it. I am having a bit of a hard time with it and Horst Heldt also criticized it. One always has the impression that the professional football player is not interested in anything. I know enough players who look beyond their own noses. It’s too cheap for me that the players are always put in a corner according to the motto ‘they earn good money and can give something away’.
Interviewer: Why?
Babbel: There are enough pros who know what a privilege they have and are committed accordingly. But to demand in general that professional footballers can do without a salary is nonsense. One can have this discussion, but in the current situation it is completely wrong to make such a statement. The same applies to President Macron of France: ‘We are at war! We are not getting anywhere with such crap slogans. What is important is that politicians have a clear plan and that we as a population can understand and follow it. Anything else will depend on how we can absorb it.
Babbel would forego salary
Interviewer: But a salary cut wouldn’t hurt professional footballers.
Babbel: We always talk about professionals who earn an incredible amount of money, but there are also players where that is not true. In the 2nd and 3rd league you earn quite a lot, but not so much that you can do without 50 percent. There are also players who