It is possible that Marc-André ter Stegen is still a little underestimated in this country. The German public knows the goalkeeper of FC Barcelona primarily as a serious, somewhat withdrawn young man. He evidently has a weakness for fine irony.
It was almost exactly three years ago that Ter Stegen posted a photo of himself on his Twitter channel, which he only provided with a few emojis. There was no need for further comments: the photo spoke for itself. It showed the goalkeeper of the German national soccer team during the World Cup in Russia with a bare upper body while sunbathing: on bare asphalt and in front of a multi-storey building that looks like a parking garage.
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The dreariness in the national team’s quarters at the 2018 World Cup has never been so pointed, so subtle and yet so aptly to the point as in Ter Stegen’s tweet. Relax in Watutinki. Or also: beautiful looks different. And so Watutinki, the place where the Germans were housed, has become the code for a thoroughly messed up tournament.
There will be no such depressing photos during the European Championships this summer. On the one hand, because Ter Stegen is not part of the German EM squad because of a knee operation; on the other hand, after the trip to the outskirts of the Russian capital, the national team opted for more idyll again this time. This Tuesday she will move into her quarters in Herzogenaurach, in a forest landscape on the premises of her supplier Adidas.
Home Ground is the name of the quarter. Like Herzogenaurach, that doesn’t necessarily sound like a Bacardi holiday feeling; But it’s a bit like the German team is returning to Campo Bahia, their legendary World Cup location from 2014 on the island of Santo André on the Brazilian Atlantic coast. Only the sea view is missing, but it is generally difficult to find in Franconia.
The quarter has always been important to the DFB
“The camp can of course play a decisive role and has always been important to us,” says Oliver Bierhoff, the manager of the national team. That was already the case in 1954, when the “Spirit of Spiez” is said to have contributed significantly to the miracle of Bern, winning the title at the World Cup in Switzerland.
Since then, the German Football Association (DFB) has had a reputation for being more meticulous than any other association when looking for a place to stay. Even if he has not always had such a lucky hand as with the World Cup titles in 1954, 1990 (Castello di Casiglio in Erba on Lake Como) or 2014. At the 1974 World Cup in Germany, the team stayed in the first final round Malente sports school. And sports school was still called: sports school back then. “Malente wasn’t as bad as it was always done,” says Berti Vogts. “It was much worse.”
For the European Championship starting on Friday, the DFB has deliberately taken the Campo Bahia as a model. “Campo Bahia is roughly the setup,” says Thomas Beheshti from Oliver Bierhoff’s team. Instead of single rooms as in conventional hotels, there are again four-person shared apartments. Who sleeps with whom under one roof – that will probably keep the detectives of the tabloids in suspense again in the next few days. The accommodations are not particularly large, but are furnished to a high standard, with wood and glass and great attention to detail. “It looks very chilled”, says captain Manuel Neuer, who was allowed to visit the area in advance.
The term villas is as exaggerated for accommodation as the term container would be an understatement. That is why we are now talking about units without any judgment. In addition to the 15 residential units, which the players should more or less only use for sleeping, there are three large functional buildings grouped around the so-called market square with its own swimming pool. “The processes, the paths – all of that is great,” explains Bierhoff. “We want everyone to always meet, that they come together and feel good. In hotels, regardless of the category, this is not always that easy. “
Seven years ago, at the World Cup in Brazil, the Campo was practically only finished when the national team moved in. Initially, it was said that the Germans had an accommodation built according to their own ideas, which brought Oliver Bierhoff the accusation of megalomania.
“We wanted to go the extra mile again”
It is similar in Herzogenaurach. The home ground will still be used by Adidas after the European Championship. The national players have the right of the first night. In addition, the DFB was able to contribute its experience from Brazil and its ideas for ideal tournament accommodation. “We were able to design the quarter in our own way and pay attention to the things that are important to us,” says Bierhoff. “The clear goal is that we always come together and not create different islands.”
After the rather depressing experiences in Russia “we wanted to go the extra mile again and do something special,” explains the manager of the national team. Because the Germans play their preliminary round matches in Munich, quarters in downtown Munich and in the southern environs were also up for debate. Logistical considerations in particular spoke against this. Nuremberg Airport is only 20 minutes away by car, which could be particularly important with a view to the knockout round. The team travels by bus to the preliminary round matches in Munich, 200 kilometers away. So the new quarter is also practical.
