Christoph Kramer and Per Mertesacker are convinced that FIFA still wants to wipe out the German Football Association. The trigger was a statement by former world-class coach Arsène Wenger, now a FIFA advisor. It is about allegedly political statements.
FIFA advisor Arsène Wenger caused a stir with a tip that was clearly aimed at the German team. The head of the technical study group of the world football association said that at the World Cup in Qatar, the teams that were “not focused on political demonstrations” were successful right from the start. With this, the long-time coach of Arsenal FC obviously alluded to the excitement of the DFB selection about the “One Love” captain’s armband and the hand-over-mouth gesture before the 1-2 defeat against Japan.
Former world champion Christoph Kramer vigorously contradicted Wenger’s thesis on ZDF. “The statement is completely meaningless, very, very big nonsense,” said the Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder. This view could not really be Wenger’s conviction. “He’s been one of the best coaches in the world for far too long,” said Kramer.
Former international Per Mertesacker also saw the Frenchman’s role at the world association FIFA as a trigger for the 73-year-old’s statement. Wenger is now using the fact that the German team has been eliminated to make a statement for FIFA, “to wipe out something else for us,” said Mertesacker.
Before the national team’s first World Cup game, FIFA had banned the DFB and six other European associations from wearing the “One Love” captain’s armband. The bandage should stand for diversity and freedom of expression. The German Football Association had sharply criticized the FIFA ban. The discussion overshadowed the start of the World Cup by national coach Hansi Flick’s team. Before the kick-off against Japan, the national team covered their mouths as a sign of protest.
DFB director Oliver Bierhoff denied shortly after the team was eliminated from the preliminary round that the debate about the bandage was a cause. “But do you really believe that after three games that took place on the field that this “One Love” bandage played such a big role,” Bierhoff said on ARD. The topic will not play a role in the sporting analysis of the failure, even if “things didn’t go that way”.
(This article was first published on Sunday, December 04, 2022.)