Neuendorf learns from the Qatar World Cup
DFB boss wants to clarify everything except football before the European Championship
March 19, 2024, 12:00 p.m
There are less than 90 days left before the start of the European Championship, but first there are test matches against France and the Netherlands. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf explains in an interview with RTL and ntv what is important in the games and what the association has learned from the Qatar World Cup.
DFB President Bernd Neuendorf believes the German national soccer team can reach the semi-finals at the home European Championship. He didn’t even have to formulate this wish, the players themselves were ambitious and had the goal of “making and leading the Euros here in their own country,” he said in an interview with RTL and ntv. Each of the DFB stars is “eager to show in front of their own audience that we can still compete at the top.”
The DFB team was eliminated in the group phase of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and 2022 in Qatar, and at the last European Championship it ended in the round of 16 with a 2-0 defeat against England. Neuendorf admitted that the past three tournaments “weren’t really successful.” “That’s why a little humility is definitely appropriate.”
And yet: “On the other hand, we are playing at home, we have the fans behind us,” said Neuendorf. “The stadiums will be full and the atmosphere will be very good.” The nominated players also make the DFB President optimistic. “We have outstanding players, we have world champions in the squad, Toni Kroos is coming back now,” he explained. The World Cup title in Brazil celebrates its 10th anniversary the day before the European Championship final. “And I also trust the team to go very far.”
“We learned from it”
The tournament in Qatar in particular was overshadowed by debates about the “One Love” captaincy. Neuendorf explained that something like this should not happen again. “We as the DFB learned from it,” he said. He said that immediately after the World Cup. “I think it was a mistake to allow such questions to enter the tournament.” It was his learning effect from the Qatar World Cup, “that as soon as the tournament starts, you have to have full focus on the game, on football.”
The DFB President is also confident about the European Championship mood in the country. You shouldn’t see it as saying that the euphoria isn’t there at all, people want to go to this tournament. “The ticket requests are bombastic. We have 50 million ticket requests for 2.7 million tickets that are allocated in total for all games. And that shows that people want to see the tournament.”
The DFB team can also do its part with the way the team plays football. In the two upcoming test matches against France in Lyon (Saturday, 9 p.m./ZDF and in the live ticker at ntv.de) and against the Netherlands (Tuesday, March 26th, 8:45 p.m./RTL and in the live ticker at ntv.de) In Frankfurt/Main it’s not just about the results, but also about the performance. It is important that a core formation is formed for the tournament opener against Scotland on June 14th at 9 p.m. in Munich.
“I think Julian Nagelsmann knows all this better than me,” said Neuendorf. “And I think these two games will show how the team is going. Mentality will be required there. And I think that – regardless of the result – will lead to people saying: Yes, on this team We can bet and we have confidence in them.”
You can see the whole interview in a Nachtjournal special at 12:25 a.m. on RTL.