Football: 'Players are treated like 'puppets'

Kroos hits out at new tournaments, says players treated like 'puppets'

Real Madrid and Germany player Toni Kroos has taken a swipe at FIFA and UEFA, claiming the world and European organising bodies are treating players like "puppets" by expanding tournaments and creating new competitions.

Kroos criticised the creation of the UEFA Nations League in 2018, which he competes in with Germany, as well as FIFA's expanded Club World Cup, which was set to take place in 2021 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"With the invention of all these new things we seem to be just the puppets of FIFA and UEFA," Kroos said on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast the player presents with brother and fellow professional Felix.

"These competitions are created to suck everything out of every single player physically and to suck out as much money as possible."

The midfielder also lambasted the concept of a European Super League, after Barcelona's outgoing president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed last month he has agreed to sign the Catalans up to a future league involving the continent's top teams.

Kroos believes domestic competitions and the Champions League are "top products" that should not be meddled with.

"When certain things work well it is a good idea to leave them that way," he added.

Hoffenheim players in quarantine after positive COVID-19 tests

Hoffenheim have sent players into quarantine until further notice after a string of positive COVID-19 cases, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday.

Players Sebastian Rudy and Ishak Belfodil as well as a staff member tested positive on Wednesday morning, joining Robert Skov (Denmark) and Munas Dabbur (Israel) who tested positive at their national team camps on Tuesday. Jacob Bruun Larsen has also been sidelined.

The Bundesliga takes a break at the weekend for international matches and resumes again in 10 days.

"We cannot explain this frequency," Alexander Rosen, Hoffenheim's head of pro football, said in a statement.

"We have been sticking for months with great detail to all the health guidelines. That is how we came through months without a positive test during the pandemic that is now hitting us hard."

In October, Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric and Kasim Adams returned after another international break and tested positive for the virus.

Swedish national team soccer coach tests positive for COVID-19

The coach of Sweden's men's national football team Janne Andersson has tested positive for COVID-19, the Swedish Football Association said on Wednesday, only hours before his side was due to take on neighbouring Denmark.

"Janne is feeling well under the circumstances (and) will remain in isolation at home," Swedish team doctor Anders Valentin said in a statement.

The Football Association said Andersson had been self-isolating since the end of last week after a close family member tested positive for the virus that has surged once again across the country in recent weeks.

Sweden is scheduled to play a friendly match away against Denmark on Wednesday evening.