Mr. Lahm, does the European Championship have to save football in Germany?
No, you don’t have to save football. I know what you mean, Qatar, the discussions about the World Cup. But football still works. And by that I don’t just mean that you saw super attractive games in Qatar. Football also brings people together.
In Qatar there was more of a feeling that he was dividing. Can the EM be something like a counterweight to FIFA football under Gianni Infantino?
We are a democratic country, we are in the heart of Europe. We have to and want to show that. Everyone can go to the stadium here, everyone loves whoever they want, we are an open society. At other tournaments, sport is also used for the self-interest of politicians, we can do that too – by showing how we are and how we want to live. This is a great opportunity beyond football, especially in the difficult times we are going through.