World Cup games to start the day
In a crisis, the DFB relies entirely on “kissing women awake”.
07/05/2023 8:28 p.m
The men’s national soccer team is in deep crisis, the U21 juniors fail as defending champions at the European Championship. Now the hope of the DFB is fully on the women. The team of trainer Martina Voss-Tecklenburg should cheer up the atmosphere.
Unexpectedly, Joti Chatzialexiou traveled to the World Cup training camp of the German women’s soccer team after the U21 European Championship debacle, and the DFB official was immediately struck by the unpleasant subject at his first appearance there. Do Alexandra Popp and Co. now have to save the reputation of German football as role models?
“Of course I would also be happy if our women could kiss the German football fans awake again this summer,” said the sporting director of the national teams in Herzogenaurach. Such a “kissing awake” goes well with the early World Cup kick-off times for the finals in Australia and New Zealand (July 20 to August 20). “You can start the day with great games.” The first group game is on July 24th (10.30 a.m. CEST/ZDF and in the ntv.de live ticker) in Melbourne against Morocco before taking on Colombia and South Korea.
Chatzialexiou categorically rejects cross-comparisons between his national teams, but he cannot avoid them in his function. After the disaster in Qatar and the recent debacle in Georgia, he was “glad that we as an association have the opportunity to win over football fans with the tournament. In my job, it goes without saying that I wish that all of our teams are successful.”
The players are ambivalent about the ongoing and sometimes provocative questions about the vacuum in German fanatics. Captain Popp dismissed such a game as “stupid” at the start of the World Cup preparations. “I think it’s a shame that the men have to mess up somehow so that we can get people on our side. I think it’s cool if the fans are just fans for Germany,” said striker Lea Schüller from champion Bayern Munich, but: “I I hope that we can pull German football up a notch with the World Cup.”
One more test, then sort out
They finally managed to do that last summer when they soared to the dream final against the English in Wembley. According to Chatzialexiou, the runners-up European champions are also approaching the finals in Australia and New Zealand with ambitious goals. “Of course we have our claim when we go into a tournament that we want to play for the title,” he explained, but emphasized in view of the ever-stronger competition: “I’m going into this World Cup very humbly because I see how things are developing The European Championship was sensational, and that will definitely be topped at the World Cup.”
His impressions from the “Homeground” make him “very confident”, the mood is “very positive”, the training sessions are “intensive” and the conditions in Franconia are “sensational again”. It is important to take “flow and spirit” with you from last year, especially since the core of the EM team has stayed together apart from a few failures.
In the dress rehearsal on Friday (8.30 p.m./ARD and in the ntv.de live ticker) against Zambia in Fürth, the team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will have to “really stretch” again, said Chatzialexiou, who expects a “really good test” in the duel with the World Cup newcomer.
The final World Cup squad will be named on Saturday, Paulina Krumbiegel from TSG Hoffenheim will not be among the 23 nominees. “She was actually a shaky candidate and had muscular problems for the past few days,” Chatzialexiou explained after Krumbiegel’s departure. Four outfield players and one goalkeeper are left out before the “Kissing Awake” mission begins.