Legendary coach Arsène Wenger has been working in global football development for FIFA for some time – and since then has been making “the stupidest statements,” says Norway national coach Stale Solbakken. The former Bundesliga coach suspects that the former football mastermind was “brainwashed”.
Norway’s national coach Stale Solbakken has massively criticized the French coaching legend Arsène Wenger for his commitment to the world football association FIFA. “It shudders to see that the smartest man in the world, Arsène Wenger, who has been looked up to over the years, has somehow been brainwashed and is now making the most stupid statements,” said the former Bundesliga coach at 1. FC Cologne the Norwegian TV channel TV2.
The 73-year-old Wenger coached Arsenal from 1996 to 2018. Since 2019 he has headed FIFA’s Global Football Development department. Above all, Solbakken accuses him of supporting the controversial World Cup in Qatar and plans for a new World Cup rhythm every two years. “It’s scary with all the people we’ve looked up to in the football world for years,” said the Norwegian. “There is a polarization taking place right now. And I’m afraid that it will only get worse.”
Wenger had caused trouble for Germany’s world champions Christoph Kramer and Per Mertesacker last week with a tip that was clearly directed against the German team. Wenger had said that at the World Cup in Qatar, the teams that were “not focused on political demonstrations” were successful right from the start. With this, the long-time coach of Arsenal FC obviously alluded to the excitement of the DFB selection about the “One Love” captain’s armband and the hand-over-mouth gesture before the 1-2 defeat against Japan.
Kramer vigorously contradicted Wenger’s thesis on ZDF. “The statement is completely meaningless, very, very big nonsense,” said the Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder. This view could not really be Wenger’s conviction. “He’s been one of the best coaches in the world for far too long,” said Kramer.
Former international Per Mertesacker also saw the Frenchman’s role at the world association FIFA as a trigger for the 73-year-old’s statement. Wenger is now using the fact that the German team has been eliminated to make a statement for FIFA, “to wipe out something else for us,” said Mertesacker.
(This article was first published on Thursday, December 15, 2022.)