EQUAL PAY? Former Barcelona star slams Dutch FA for wage system change

August 14, 2019 By Oscar Rojas

Topics: Campeones Cup, Atlanta United, Frank de Boer, MLS, Netherlands

Frank De Boer, currently coaching in the U.S., dissed the idea of having Dutch National Team players collecting the same amount of money.

Surely, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Julie Ertz will not like these words by Atlanta United's boss.

Speaking ahead of the Campeones Cup clash between his club and Liga MX América, former Barcelona and Netherlands' ace Frank De Boer shared some controversial views on his FA's decision to grant equal payment to members of the Men's and Women's football teams in his home country.

According to the Dutch boss, the idea is not something that should be considered, mainly due to the exposure men's games get, compared to those featuring women.

"I think for me, it's ridiculous. It's the same like tennis. If there are watching, for the World Cup final, 500 million people or something like that, and 100 million for a women's final, that's a difference. So it's not the same," De Boer said.

The former center back urged authorities in the Dutch FA to think about the real impact women's football has, according to his standards, before making such a big decision.

"If it's just as popular as the men, they will get it, because the income and the advertising will go into that. But it's not like that, so why do they have to earn the same? I think it's ridiculous. I don't understand that," De Boer added.

Before this controversial interview with The Guardian concluded, De Boer admitted that the idea of equal pay should be applied for regular jobs, but equal pay in sports is a whole different ball game for the tactician.

"I think if you have a manager position for a bank or something, you have to earn the same what the men did because it's not physically, just only here (points to head), so why do you have to earn less, because you're doing the same job as a man? I think that's also dropped a little bit into the sports world, like tennis and soccer. But I think that's still different," De Boer concluded.

De Boer will try to win his first title as Atlanta United boss on Wednesday, when the red and black side faces América in the second Campeones Cup clash in history.