ZDF scandal about Toni Kroos: Sender's sports director criticizes footballers - he reacts promptly and explains himself
Created: 05/30/2022Updated: 05/30/2022 12:33 p.m
By: Antonio Jose Riether
Toni Kroos poisoned a ZDF reporter after the Champions League final.
Commentator Béla Réthy and ZDF sports director Thomas Fuhrmann protect it.
Paris/Munich – It was the topic after the Champions League final – at least from a German perspective.
Toni Kroos and the interview after Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Liverpool.
The real star broke off the conversation with ZDF reporter Nils Kaben on the field and got excited about his questions.
As a result, there was a lot of encouragement for Kroos, but also criticism.
In particular, ZDF sports director Thomas Fuhrmann defended his employees.
“These situations right after the final whistle are always special.
Maybe my colleague should have stayed with the emotions and got to the heart of the game a little later.”
Kroos follows up after criticism from the ZDF sports director: "He didn't do that well"
However, he criticized Kroos in particular: "Basically, the questions were justified and no reason to break off the interview." He does not think that a clarifying conversation between the two is necessary.
"One should leave the church in the village."
On Sunday, Kroos reacted to this himself and explained his derogatory reaction as follows:
"I don't demand more respect.
After winning the Champions League final, I only expected positive questions.
I don't think he did that well."
What exactly happened?
After a hard-fought 90 minutes, Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League final.
As expected, the Spaniards did not have an easy time against the Premier League runners-up, which is why emotions ran high in one or the other player after the final whistle.
One of them was ex-DFB star Kroos, who reacted irritably to the ZDF reporter's questions before ending the interview prematurely.
Champions League: Kroos breaks off ZDF interview after Real Madrid triumph
Kroos answered the first two questions quite calmly immediately after the final whistle.
Kaben first asked the 32-year-old whether he had already won his fifth Champions League title.
"There's nothing to add to that," the ex-national player replied succinctly.
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When asked why he looked into the audience for a long time after the end of the game, the man from Greifswald also answered professionally.
"I checked where my family is because it's a very special title for me.
Everyone was in the stadium today.
I've always said that I've won the Champions League once or twice, but I always wanted all the kids to be in the stadium," said Kroos.
When asked the third question, however, the real professional seemed more irritated.
Toni Kroos shoots against ZDF man Nils Kaben – "Now you ask me two such shitty questions"
When asked if the win wasn't so obvious given the course of the game, Kroos said: "Pfff, what's obvious?
Winning the Champions League is also something that cannot be taken for granted.
We put up a great fight, we knew Liverpool were a great team.
What does not mean, of course?
We won, that's it!” The angry Kroos was asked the last question that broke the camel's back.
"Was it surprising to you that Real Madrid got into a lot of trouble?" Kaben wanted to know, to which Kroos replied:
"You've had 90 minutes to think about sensible questions, honestly.
And now you ask me two such shitty questions.
I think that's crazy!
It's clear that you sometimes get into trouble against Liverpool.
What kind of question is this?!
We're not playing in the group phase somewhere, we're playing in the Champions League final," he clarified and continued to rumble in the background.
"You first ask three negative questions, then you already know that you come from Germany," said Kroos, clearly audible for the microphones.
Béla Réthy defends his ZDF colleague - last final appearance for the legendary commentator
Béla Réthy was obviously trying to moderate the situation reasonably.
"He was a bit upset, Toni Kroos.
But his colleague Nils Kaben only wanted to point out that, statistically speaking, Liverpool FC was superior with a shot on goal ratio of 21:3.
That was the real message.
But in the emotion, adrenaline blossoms in strange ways.
Don't worry," Réthy defended his colleague.
For ZDF commentator Béla Réthy it was the last final of his decades-long career.
© Jan Huebner/imago-images
Réthy had wished for an easier task at his special farewell.
The longtime commentator was in action at a final for the last time in his television career.
From 1996 to 2018, the Vienna-born sports journalist commented on all finals of the World and European Championships broadcast by ZDF.
The 65-year-old is now retiring after more than 35 years.
(ajr)
