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When Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, it unleashed an unexpected sense of national pride throughout the country. For many Germans, it was the first time they felt they could fly the flag unencumbered by the country’s dark past.
As Germany prepares to host another major soccer tournament, the European Championship, such scenes of patriotic fervor are hard to imagine happening again.
While the national team may still be able to persuade reluctant Germans to celebrate, the country itself is going through a difficult time politically, with a far-right surge that has made many uneasy about public displays of national pride.
Although Germany’s opening game on Friday against Scotland is only a few days away, there are quite a few German flags hanging from balconies or windows, some of the national colors on display.
“It will not be like 2006, because we have moved on 18 years and there are conflicts everywhere,” said Stephan Uersfeld, a sports columnist for broadcaster NTV. “Conflict in German society, conflict in Europe. This did not happen in 2006.
Germany was one of the countries where the far right made significant gains in European Parliament elections on Sunday. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, came second.
In 2006, the country was not as polarized. Germany still refers to that year’s World Cup as the “Sommermärchen,” or summer fairy tale.
This is the first time Germany has hosted a major soccer tournament since reunification. The economy is recovering from a deep depression with unemployment at 12.6% in 2005 – the highest since the war – and new Chancellor Angela Merkel promises to do better.
He was in high spirits when a young German team coached by Jürgen Klinsmann defied hopes of reaching the semi-finals in a country where soccer is the most popular sport. Good weather also played a role. Germans watch on the big screen in beer gardens, on the street or among friends at home, then continue to party in parks and clubs.
“It’s just a great atmosphere,” Uersfeld said. “I think the whole country is proud to host the tournament and it’s a great host. They can’t believe that people like what they see in Germany. You have people coming from all over the world.”
He said that hosting the European Championship is not as important as hosting the World Cup.
It is questionable whether even the World Cup will generate the same celebratory mood today as it did in 2006. There has not been the same collective mass display of national pride in the country, even after Germany won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Concerns about the rise of the AfD, which often uses the German flag in its campaigns, and more extremist groups have led many Germans to refrain from displaying the national symbol.
“Nobody wants to be confused with right-wing stuff,” says Axel Lischke, a sound engineer in Berlin.
He describes himself as a football fan, but not particularly in Germany, and said he will get Scotland in the opening game on Saturday.
“I would love to see German society treat everyone equally,” said Lischke, who suggested the image of the multicultural German national team was just a vision. He pointed to the treatment of former Germany international Mesut Özil after the team’s failure at the 2018 World Cup.
Özil, who is originally from Turkey, was made a scapegoat and the target of racist abuse. The president of the German football federation, DFB, at the time, Reinhard Grindel, later regretted not giving more support to Özil.
The DFB began to position itself in direct opposition to the right, promoting inclusion and tolerance. It has launched a campaign against racism and discrimination.
“This is part of our job,” DFB general secretary Heike Ullrich told AP. “You can’t say that sports don’t play a role in politics. And we know how football can be used as a model to send important messages about politics.
Ahead of Euro 2024, a TV documentary questions the role of the German national team in promoting integration in a multicultural society.
German defender Jonathan Tah and former internationals Shkodran Mustafi and Gerald Asamoah talk about the racism and hostility they face.
The program on public broadcaster ARD included a survey that asked 1,304 participants if they preferred white players in the team. One in five answered they would.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann and midfielder Joshua Kimmich said they were surprised the broadcaster would ask the question.
“If you consider that we are going to host the European Championship at home, it makes no sense to ask that question when the goal is to unite the whole country,” Kimmich said. “It’s about achieving great things together. As a team, we’re trying to get everyone in Germany behind us.
Until what happens – even if it does not reach the level of 2006 – it will be clear that Germany will start the tournament on Friday.
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Associated Press reporter Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
