Red Bull boss left astounded by Nagelsmann's persuasive argument against national team "populism"
In the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Germany suffered a 0:2 defeat against Slovakia. This loss sparked discussions about the need for a new national coach, but Red-Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff is critical of these immediate calls.
Mintzlaff, who has worked with Julian Nagelsmann in the past, considers the current coach to be an excellent choice. However, he believes that the praise for Nagelsmann from a few months ago is now being called into question.
Despite the loss to Slovakia, the German national football team managed to win 3:1 against Northern Ireland in their subsequent match. This victory improved their record in the qualifiers to 1 win and 1 loss, with a goal difference of +2 (3 goals scored and 1 goal conceded).
Mintzlaff, in his comments to the "General-Anzeiger", expressed his disappointment with the team's performance against Slovakia. He finds the populism and inconsistency in the discussions surrounding the team to be more shocking than the team's performance itself.
It is worth noting that Julian Nagelsmann is currently the German national football team coach, with a contract running at least through July 2024, covering the European Championship 2024. As of September 2025, there is no public indication of any debate or change regarding his position before the European Championship 2028. The focus is rather on rebuilding the team after the retirements of key players and preparing for upcoming competitions like the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers.
The German national football team's next opponent in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers is not specified in the provided text. The qualifiers continue after the mentioned matches, with the team's next match not specified in the text either.
Mintzlaff believes that the current discussions about the German national football team lack consistency. He believes that it is important to support the team and its coach, especially during challenging times, rather than calling for immediate changes.
