The German national soccer team has started its announced charm offensive. The selection of national coach Hansi Flick played a regeneration session in front of around 3,500 fans on Monday afternoon in the Frankfurt stadium at Brentanobad. At the first public appearance after the World Cup debacle in Qatar, the DFB team was greeted with applause.
After Qatar: DFB-Elf is greeted by fans with applause
Photo: AFP/SID/ANDRE PAIN
National team director Rudi Völler gave a short speech at the beginning. “We try to make everyone happy,” he said of the autograph requests and selfies with the stars: “Thank you all for being there and have fun right away.”
In the Eintracht Bundesliga women’s stadium, the smell of bratwurst was in the air as 14 of the 23 players from Flick’s squad warmed up. The training should last a good hour. The players who didn’t have to play after their weekend appearances were also available for the fans.
Völler spoke of a “nice event” with more to follow: “It remains to be seen whether that will be the case with every international match. But we will always manage it.”
The new openness follows a big plan. “We want to be closer to the fans again. We know that has gotten a bit lost lately,” said Völler. An international match, if possible in June at an earlier kick-off time, should also help the rapprochement, “so that younger fans can experience the national team again in the stadium or in front of the television”, as Völler explained.
The former DFB team boss and world champion from 1990 has no illusions about the effect of all these “little things. The most important thing will always be how the team performs on the pitch.”
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