Shortly before the holiday in Mallorca, national soccer coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg is still grappling with the defeat in the final against England.
“When I look at the tournament as a whole, the joy prevails. Especially about how we performed. But the way we lost the final still gives me a stomach ache,” said the 54-year-old in an interview with the “Mallorca Zeitung”.
Voss-Tecklenburg – who starts her holiday in Mallorca on Sunday – is happy about the hype that the European Championship has triggered for women’s football. “Jürgen Klopp wrote to me. He knows losing finals… He said to me: ‘Martina, stay on your path. You play fantastic football.” He loves our style of play. Hearing that from him is incredibly good for us. The fans think if Klopp thinks it’s cool, I really want to see it too.”
Incidentally, Voss-Tecklenburg’s dream of owning a home in Mallorca was shattered by the bankruptcy. Her husband Hermann Tecklenburg had promised to buy a finca if the European title worked out. But now he has advertised the same “success bonus” for the World Cup: “Since the European Championships have been postponed because of Corona, the World Cup is coming up next year. That means that if we start looking around now, it could work out in time,” said the National coach who has been vacationing on the island for many years.
Peter Knäbel, sports director at FC Schalke 04, recently brought the national coach into the conversation for a job with the men in the Bundesliga. “We have enough women who have the potential to take off in the Bundesliga. Men’s football has to open up,” said Voss-Tecklenburg. “We are ready for it. It’s not a question of gender, but of quality. I think it’s sad that the question still arises today: do you trust her?” For the time being, however, the national coach wants to continue to concentrate on the national team, with whom she wants to celebrate further successes.
