A top German footballer who left $129,000 poker winnings in the back of a cab then copped a $43,000 fine from his club.
The 27-year-old Wolfsburg striker Max Kruse, who has played 14 internationals for Germany, won the money in a Berlin World Series Poker tournament late last year after playing a Bundesliga game the previous day, it has just been revealed.
Kruse called the police but has yet to get his money back, sports newspaper Bild has reported. Manager Klaus Allofs slapped the massive fine on Kruse after finding out about his gambling sessions.
The club stated: "You might be a private person as a footballer when you are in your bed. At any other point, you are also an employee of the club.
"We have explained to him what sort of behaviour we expect from our players. We can only hope that he has been taught a lesson and will change his behaviour."
