News

San Marino Criticize Thomas Muller For Comments After Germany’s 8-0 World Cup Qualifying Win

San Marino coach Pierangelo Manzaroli and his staff have accused Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller of being disrespectful for comments he made following Germany’s 8-0 World Cup Qualifying win over his national team in Serravalle on Friday.

San Marino Criticize Thomas Muller For Comments After Germany’s 8-0 World Cup Qualifying Win

Muller said he did not “see the point” of Germany playing such games against weaker teams like San Marino, a micro-state, and claimed it posed a risk to professional players like himself to be subjected to some of the tackling amateur players dish out.

“Matches like the one against San Marino have nothing to do with professional football,” said the 27-year-old forward. “I do not understand the meaning of games such as these, more so with such a busy schedule. I understand it for them, especially playing against the world champions, I also understand that we can only defend with hard work. Precisely for this reason, however, I wonder if these are not games that lead to unnecessary risks.”

San Marino director of communications Alan Gasperoni also criticized Muller, and even went as far as compiling a ten-point letter explaining all the reasons he believed the German player was wrong. Gasperoni published this letter via a Facebook post in Italian.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

“When a small nation like San Marino play against the world champions Germany, a result like this can happen,” Manzaroli told Mediaset. “The important thing is that respect should never be lacking. I think that also you need to show the right degree of self-control after the match and this is what makes the difference when judging the stature of people.”

He continued: “In this case, this aspect was found wanting. I think the numbers make the difference — we are a country of 30,000 inhabitants and we don’t give out passports for sports reasons. There is a lot of work goes into what we do and I would not read too much into the Germany game because we’ve played lots of games that have been even, especially against some top nations.

“We shouldn’t let remarks like these get to us. We are an amateur national team, but absolutely professional in creating our identity. These remarks are maybe forced on the players by big federations who are perhaps looking to change the system of qualification. Maybe it’s right too, but these things should be said by representatives of the federations and not by the players, who then risk generating a backlash.”

Germany coach Joachim Low defended Muller’s comments at his pre-game news conference ahead of the friendly with Italy on Tuesday, stating the forward is used to competing against players who are “physically and technically professionals.”

MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 15: Thomas Mueller of Germany in action during the International Friendly Match between Italy and Germany at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on November 15, 2016 in Milan, . (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

Paul George Exits With Knee Injury As 76ers Fall To 2-12 In Loss To Grizzlies

With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…

2 hours ago

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

20 hours ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

20 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago