Holland's bonds coach Louis van Gaal finds it "ridiculous" that the World Cup is being held in Qatar.

FIFA is not concerned with the development of football, but with money, said the national coach of the Netherlands.

The 70-year-old and his team will face Germany next Tuesday (March 29) in Amsterdam in a friendly (8:45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the national soccer team and on ARD).

"I find it ridiculous that we are going to play in a country in order - as FIFA says - to develop football there by hosting a tournament there," said van Gaal on Monday and criticized the awarding of the World Cup ( November 21 to December 18) by FIFA to Qatar.

It's about money, about commercial interests.

That's what FIFA is about, said former Bayern coach van Gaal.

Flick calls for more binding criteria

The German national coach Hansi Flick is also critical of the World Cup award to the emirate on the Persian Gulf.

"It shouldn't always be about the money.

We recently had a World Cup in Russia, the Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the World Cup in Qatar in November – and there was always great criticism.

That's why I say: We have to think about the country in which we are going to hold sporting events earlier and define even more binding criteria for this," demanded the national coach.

However, Flick rejected a boycott of the tournament.

“It would not help the people of Qatar.

We want to participate and then set signals.

I think that's more effective," he said.

In the previous year, there had been protests by the national players against the political situation in Qatar at the three international matches played by the DFB team in March.

Symbols against the war in Ukraine are planned on the players' training jackets and in the kick-off circle in Sinsheim for the game against Israel (8.45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the national soccer team and on ZDF) on Saturday.

For the exclusion of Russia

Regarding the exclusion of the Russian national soccer team from the World Cup playoffs, Flick told Stern magazine: "I think such measures are right as a symbol".

World governing body FIFA had banned Russia from participating in the elimination game against Poland scheduled for Thursday because of the military attack on Ukraine.

However, Flick does not expect this decision to have any effect on the war.

"But I don't think Putin is going to be impressed by that.

Even severe economic sanctions have not been able to stop him so far.

I feel sorry for the athletes who are now being excluded from the competitions.

Because it is Putin's war, not their war.

But there is currently no other option," said the 57-year-old.

Due to the exclusion, Russia's national team will miss the World Cup finals in Qatar in late autumn.