German football's crisis deepens as national team coach Nagelsmann questions everything, seven months before the European Championship at home. The team's performance, dominated by external circumstances, has been dismal under three coaches in 2023 with only three wins.
Off the pitch, the German Football Association (DFB) and president Bernd Neuendorf dodge crucial FIFA President Gianni Infantino's decisions regarding the 2034 World Cup. The sporting crisis is attributed externally, with Natal coach Julian Nagelsmann accusing the media of pushing the team into the "victim role."
Coach Nagelsmann's support system crumbles, and he echoes the team's self-confidence at rock bottom. Full-backs have left the country, and the players lack international class in many positions. The team's performance hinges on a few positions only.
In the midst of this chaos, DFB sports director Rudi Völler, returns after analyzing the Qatar disaster, appearing on his friend Waldemar Hartmann's populist portal. The interview a year after the botched World Cup opener in Qatar, was used by the ultra-nationalist portal to stir controversy, exploiting Völler's statements, and alleging failures in integration policy.
BVB managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke accused Turkish fans, many of whom traveled from Germany, of intolerance due to their loud whistling against DFB captain İlkay Gündoğan, of Turkish origin. Criticizing fans' behavior may stir controversy but their reactions fall within the context of an intense soccer match, a derby.
Gündoğan's comment on the team's overall situation is a silver lining amidst the crisis, "It couldn't be worse right now. Maybe that's the only positive aspect."
Rudi Völler's involvement in the recent extension of Julian Nagelsmann's contract as head coach of the German national team marks an attempt to bring stability and continuity to the team in a time of crisis. The decision to extend Nagelsmann's contract until Euro 2028 signals the DFB's commitment to rebuilding national pride and achieving future sporting success.
