DFB Vice President Ralph-Uwe Schaffert caused a lack of understanding among sports director Rudi Völler by criticizing the German national soccer players.
In an interview with the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung” and the “Neue Presse” (Thursday editions, December 28, 2023), Schaffert said: “It would be time to radically change the playing staff.” Specifically, the head of the North German Football Association, the Lower Saxony Football Association and Vice President of the German Football Association accuses many national players of a lack of attitude almost six months before the start of the European Championship in their own country.
“Because I have the feeling that with a not very small number of players currently active, they think they can get by with perhaps 85 percent of the possible effort on the pitch,” said Schaffert. “It used to be an honor to play for Germany. Nowadays I have the feeling for a lot of it that it’s a burden. Then I should leave it if I have that attitude.”
Sports director Völler disagrees
Völler didn’t want to leave it like that. The sports director of the DFB reacted in the “Bild” to the sentences of the high-ranking DFB official, who is not for the first time noticed with clear criticism of the national team. “Everyone in the DFB has their job. It’s nice that everyone is interested in the national team, and criticism is completely fine after the last few games. But the way of criticizing our important players in such an exaggerated way is not acceptable,” said Völler.
Völler also said that he couldn’t imagine that Schaffert really meant it that way and offered: “I’d be happy to explain it to him again over a cup of coffee.” DFB spokesman Steffen Simon had previously said in an initial reaction to Schaffert’s statements: “The interview was not coordinated. We will work through it internally.”
Specific criticism of Kimmich and Gündogan
Schaffert specifically mentioned the national players Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) and Ilkay Gündogan (FC Barcelona) in the interview. Kimmich has “so far failed to provide proof” that he is a leading player. With national team captain Gündogan it is the case that “strangely enough, he plays outstandingly in the club and then plays in the national team in such a way that you could get the idea: Did he send his less talented twin brother?” said Schaffert.
Regardless of his criticism of the national players, Schaffert also sees a problem for the DFB: As an association, when looking for a new coach, it is no longer able to keep up with the sums paid in club football. “The next national coach will no longer get what Hansi Flick got because the DFB can no longer afford it,” said the 67-year-old. Schaffert.
