"Fu**** up at Euro '96, but raising a glass now!" A transformation in the German national team's fortunes since the Portugal debacle
Dismayed After Portugal Defeat: DFB-Elf's Desolate State Expressed
By Ben RedelingsFacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmailPrintLink copy How the tides have turned! In just a few days, the German national team will collide with Portugal in the Nations League semi-finals. Two decades ago, this match was a brutal blow for German football at the 1996 European Championship. Now, it's all excitement. The national team is the talk of the town again.
Reminiscing "Those who can drink, can run!" Oliver Kahn, the goalkeeper, was furious back then - and battered his teammates and the German national team coach, Erich Ribbeck, in an interview. The German team had delivered a catastrophic European Championship performance - culminating in a 0-3 loss to a Portuguese B-team in front of over 50,000 spectators in Rotterdam. Not only did Germany lose to an overpowering opponent, but they also lost all pride that evening.
Public criticism was heavy following the humiliation. German football was at its lowest point. And the fact that Oliver Kahn didn't miss the mark with his statements about his teammates' drinking habits ("I don't give a rat's ass what the guys do in bars, but then they need to deliver top-notch performance") was confirmed by Germany's then national goalkeeping coach, Sepp Maier, in historical documents.
"I only kick ass when I'm sober"
Sepp Maier, a world champion in 1974 and long-term national player, had already sensed the looming disaster for German football before the European Championship. He witnessed firsthand how some German players had attempted to overthrow coach Erich Ribbeck during a training camp in Spain.
Sepp Maier talked about the fateful night on the island that became infamous as the failed "Mallorca Revolution": "They were spewing nonsense until the wee hours. If they intended to overthrow Ribbeck with their senseless jabber, then I'm Huber. I only kick ass when I'm sober, not when I've had three or four beers and a bottle of wine. Then everyone's a hero." Sepp Maier struck a somewhat flattering conclusion for the rebellious national players: "I don't think they could even find Ribbeck's bedroom in that state, let alone topple him."
After the "sporting disgrace" of Euro 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium, a German weekly questioned if German football would ever recover: "Will we ever find the light at the end of the tunnel?" Divided amongst themselves, bereft of leadership, and lacking a cohesive plan to solve the mess, German football was drowning in despair 25 years ago. Nobody believed that the German national team would bounce back from their humiliation against Portugal in just a few years. The problems appeared too big and insurmountable.
A surprising turn in the script But once again, football proved the epitome of speed and unpredictability. Just two years later, the disgrace against Portugal and the first-round exit at Euro 2000 were pushed aside, yet not forgotten. Under their new coach Rudi Völler, the German team recaptured the hearts of German fans and made it to the final against Brazil at the 2002 World Cup. Although they lost that game, "Völler's national team" brought football fans back together in Germany.
Ben Redelings is a bestselling author and comedian from the Ruhr region. Recently, his book "A Goal Would Do the Game Good. The Ultimate Book of Football Truths" has been released in an updated and expanded new edition! With his football shows, he travels throughout Germany. Info & dates on www.scudetto.de.
"Who runs, can also drink!"
This situation calls to mind the autumn a year and a half ago, when the new national coach Hansi Flick was fired, and Rudi Völler took over as interim coach. Völler set the stage for a new, more optimistic future for the German national team with the test match victory against France. Under the guidance of Julian Nagelsmann, the German national team is creating headlines again - even over a longer period. The contrast to the disastrous summer of 2000 could hardly be starker. Because the anticipation for the match against Portugal on Wednesday in Munich is high.
And if the German national team somehow makes it to the final of the Nations League and celebrates another glorious football evening together with their fans, nobody would object to the national players savoring a cold drink at the bar afterward. In the spirit of the slightly modified saying by Oliver Kahn: "Who runs, plays, and fights, can also drink!" It's a safe bet that the players of then and now would differ in this department as well.
Source: ntv.de
Football National TeamDFBOliver Kahn
The German national football team, led by coach Rudi Völler, is set to face Portugal in the Nations League semi-finals, a stark contrast to their disastrous performance at the 1996 European Championship, where Oliver Kahn, the goalkeeper, voiced his disapproval of his teammates' drinking habits. In Nobel Kahn's words, "I only kick ass when I'm sober, not when I've had three or four beers and a bottle of wine."
