Virgil van Dijk was asked about his attitude to too many games and it led to a ridiculous question about salary sacrifices – which ended as you can imagine!
The Liverpool captain was very enthusiastic about overplaying players and this has a negative and long-term effect on their form.
Van Dijk is an integral part of Liverpool and his country and rarely gets time off, but some have believed that the money paid to players softens the debate.
However, the Reds No.4 did not buy the idea, commenting on England’s hectic football schedule and how the players “should start saying something”.
“We think England’s schedules are too busy. “The players are well paid, but it should never be at the expense of our health,” Van Dijk told a press conference ahead of the Netherlands’ match against France.
“We have to play more and more matches. As players, we should start to say something, participate in the solution.
Van Dijk’s comments led to a ridiculous question from reporter Valentijn Driessen, who asked the centre-back to sacrifice some of his salary for a quieter schedule.
“No, I’m not ready to give up 10 percent,” Van Dijk said via Sportnieuws when asked if he was willing to give up some of his salary by playing fewer games.
“I don’t think it should depend on my salary,” the defender added when pressed. “Now you’re trying to get me to say something nice.
“For example, the accompanying National League does not enter my salary. We get bonuses, but it’s not a guarantee.”
It’s quite strange that a player who is concerned about playing too many games and thus shortening his career would be so vague about how much money he makes.
So, will they get a raise as more games are added to the schedule? We don’t think so.
This removes the real problem, which is often injured players leaving clubs and countries with no options, and the quality of the product FIFA sells drops as a result.
Apparently insisting on better player welfare is a step too far, but Jurgen Klopp has been talking about it for a long time. “There has to be one meeting where they [FIFA, Premier League, FA] all talk to each other and the only topic should be the most important part of this game, the players,” Klopp said in August.
