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Former national soccer player and team captain Philipp Lahm highlighted the opportunities for Europe around the 2024 European Championship in Germany. “There is great hope in this, but also the challenge of being good hosts,” said Lahm at a ZEIT event, Handelsblatt, Tagesspiegel and WirtschaftsWoche in Berlin.
More on the topic: EM in Germany
European Football Championship: Football is needed to defend democracy
As early as 2006, he felt the sense of community that emerged during the home European Championships, the joy of the Germans to show their flag again and to associate positive feelings with it, said Lahm. The role of host has increased enthusiasm for football, but also for a European feeling in Germany. He is now hoping for the same from the 2024 European Championship at home. Lahm is tournament director of the 2024 European Championship and managing director of DFB Euro GmbH. He also writes the column “Views of a Footballer” for ZEIT ONLINE.
Above all, it is an incredible privilege for the players to represent their own country at a tournament. “You realize that it has more meaning than just playing football,” said Lahm, referring to the 2006 European Championship at home, in which he took part as a player. “This feeling of unity, that something has really emerged in our society,” is the potential of a home European Championship.
“The passion for sport unites us”
Celia Šašić, DFB representative for equality and diversity, describes the purpose of the European Championships as bringing people together and experiencing something together. You can break down a lot of hurdles through encounters. “What a privilege we all actually have to be able to live in Europe,” said Šašić – this needs to be cultivated as a common feeling. There are hardly any events in Europe where more different people come together than at a European Championship. That’s why it’s important to stand up for democracy, justice and diversity. “A game only works if we all play by the same rules, just like in society.”
Lahm emphasized with a view to Europe: “The passion for sport unites us.” This can be felt not only in the stadiums, but also in the fan zones and during public viewing. The encounters are central. During the pandemic you couldn’t meet anyone, now you can see people again, exchange ideas and experience things together.
Football clubs as schools for democracy
Šašić, also an ambassador for the 2024 European Championship, said that women’s football has also played an important role since 2011. A national team can be an important image of identification for a country that is coming to terms with its identity. However, she particularly emphasized the potential of football clubs for social cohesion. The “we” and the community are negotiated and lived there every day. “We have to strengthen and support these club structures because that is exactly where democracy is learned,” said Šašić. What people do there is central to society. They also tried to push this further with the European Championships.
Lahm also said that popular sport has great integrative potential: “Everyone can take part, no matter what their parents’ wallet is,” he said. For example, in his first club he played with children from the orphanage, for whom the football club was a second home. 140,000 volunteers who wanted to get involved have now applied for the 2024 European Championship. The weeks of preparation for the European Championships left him feeling rather positive about society.
“It’s just a jersey”
The question “What actually is German?” The German Football Association had already raised the issue when presenting its jerseys. It is the best-selling jersey at a European Championship so far, said Šašić. In her opinion, everyone can find it beautiful or not, but the reasoning behind it is important. The current discussion shows the strong position of football in German society, said Lahm. But: “They are still jerseys.” There has always been debate about taste.
Former national soccer player and team captain Philipp Lahm highlighted the opportunities for Europe around the 2024 European Championship in Germany. “There is great hope in this, but also the challenge of being good hosts,” said Lahm at a ZEIT event, Handelsblatt, Tagesspiegel and WirtschaftsWoche in Berlin.
As early as 2006, he felt the sense of community that emerged during the home European Championships, the joy of the Germans to show their flag again and to associate positive feelings with it, said Lahm. The role of host has increased enthusiasm for football, but also for a European feeling in Germany. He is now hoping for the same from the 2024 European Championship at home. Lahm is tournament director of the 2024 European Championship and managing director of DFB Euro GmbH. He also writes the column “Views of a Footballer” for ZEIT ONLINE.
