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A few months before the start of the 2024 European Championship in their own country, there is finally optimism again in German football. The prestigious victory over world football power France (2:1) and the appointment of star coach Julian Nagelsmann (36) as the new national coach have made the spring fever disappear.
But this new lightness cannot disguise the fact that there is still a lot going on in German football. Statements by DFB director Tobias Haupt (39) are shocking – and paint an alarming picture. Haupt has been head of the German Football Association’s academy since 2018 and has experienced the negative development first-hand.
Disastrous tournament result
He told Bild: “We are in one of the biggest crises in the history of German football!” And he is right about that. Germany, the former international dominator, has shown a dismal performance in recent tournaments. Embarrassing preliminary round exits at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, no chance in the 2021 European Championship round against England (0:2).
Haupt: “Our national teams are no longer world leaders for a long time. Since the 2014 World Cup title, we have been resting on past successes.”
“Completely lost internationally”
But what can this crash be attributed to? According to Haupt, the problem lies at the root. He rates the training work as insufficient. “The playing times of our national U21 players are far too short. We have the worst use of the talent pool compared to the top 5 countries. Spain, for example, has produced 45 percent more top players since 2009.”
From this he concludes: “We don’t have enough width at the top. It must be clear to us: internationally we have completely lost contact.” What also contributes to the negative development is the lack of cooperation between the bodies of German football (DFB, DFL, professional clubs). “The gap is currently wider than ever before,” laments Haupt.
What is especially frustrating for him is that the problems have been known for a long time, but no action has been taken. “Central measures that have been on the table for years are not being implemented. German football cannot be so successful in the future.” (sbe)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
