Contents
Read on one page Contents
Page 1Good football is message enough
Page 2The German national team has had little to say recently
To mark the tenth anniversary of the World Cup title, ARD accompanied Benedikt Höwedes to Brazil. In this documentary, he talks about the time in the summer of 2014 when he unexpectedly became a crucial supporting figure. The team had no left full-back, and for some reason Germany had long had problems with this position. Höwedes was a centre-back and right-footed. Nevertheless, the coach and the team came up with the idea of trying Höwedes at left back.
He was only partially suitable for the new position. He did bring his qualities to the table in one-on-one situations, and Höwedes was almost impossible to outwit. But he was not a specialist for the wing, where you should also be able to attack, dribble and cross. Höwedes made some passes go wrong. Sometimes Jogi Löw tore his hair out because Höwedes suddenly tried things that were bound to go wrong. Felix Magath called him the weak point.
Höwedes played every second of the tournament, became world champion, and almost headed the 1-0 goal in the final. He helped the team, and he in turn had something to thank his teammates for. They trusted him and knew what not to expect from him. Löw defended Höwedes against Magath. In the end, half a million people celebrated Höwedes and the others at the Brandenburg Gate.
At first glance, this story has absolutely nothing to do with the question of how political football can and should be. This debate has been held often in recent years, and was particularly intense during the World Cup in Qatar. The national team wanted to use the One Love armband to set an example for diversity, and after weeks of back and forth, the campaign culminated in a strange mouth-to-mouth gesture. Nothing half-hearted and nothing whole. After this embarrassment, which was made worse by sporting failure, football fans have become longing for the pure game.
© ZEIT ONLINE
Newsletter
Finally Monday
By registering, you acknowledge the privacy policy.
Thank you! We have sent you an email.
Check your mailbox and confirm your newsletter subscription.
They shouldn’t make speeches, they should play football. This demand sounds out of date, but it is not old-fashioned to think or say it. Because it is not a rejection of the meaning and values of sport and it does not reduce sport to a show. Rather, the appeal reminds footballers of the core of their task, namely to perform as a team. Then they can make a difference even without a rainbow armband. You can call that political or not. In any case, it offers an insight into how society treats one another. In Höwedes’ case, through cooperation and compromise. When resources are limited, problems can sometimes be solved together.
When you think about the effect of football, you have to know its nature. It starts with the fact that you play with your feet. “Football is the only sport in which the use of the hand is forbidden,” says sports philosopher Gunter Gebauer, who has written two books on the subject. “People impose a voluntary handicap on themselves and give up their most important instrument of fine motor skills.” This sometimes turns even the biggest star into a bungler. This approachability is part of the magic of football.
Football is also diverse in a special way. There are a lot of people involved. Eleven on each side, plus a bench full of substitutes. And they are all different types. In basketball, a height that is much longer than normal is an advantage. In handball, you need to be 80 kilos or more in weight. In football, there is room for both young and old. You need team players and individualists, artists and workers, as Julian Nagelsmann calls them.
There are other reasons why many people cheer for a football team, enter into dialogue with it, and feel represented by it. Football is rooted in society; only in a club is it possible to train to become a professional. You are nothing on your own. A career cannot be privatized, as in tennis, for example. Then there are the special rules of a national team, which you cannot change like you can a club. Money plays a much smaller role; it is more about fame and honor. Playing for your country therefore requires a different reason. All of this strengthens the bond with the people in the stands, in front of the television, in the fan zones.
This is how some national players become identity figures. After the war, young German men (like the author’s father) dreamed of Fritz Walter as a surrogate father. Rudi Völler told a story of his rise to fame on the pitch. He grew up in a poor district of Hanau and later triumphed in Italy. Because he played with passion for Germany, he became the national hero Rudi. In the current squad, the carefree Niclas Füllkrug, who knows his weaknesses, sends the message with every goal he scores: I’ll score for you.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the World Cup title, ARD accompanied Benedikt Höwedes to Brazil. In this documentary, he talks about the time in the summer of 2014 when he unexpectedly became a crucial supporting figure. The team had no left full-back, and for some reason Germany had long had problems with this position. Höwedes was a centre-back and right-footed. Nevertheless, the coach and the team came up with the idea of trying Höwedes at left back.
He was only partially suitable for the new position. He did bring his qualities to the table in one-on-one situations, and Höwedes was almost impossible to outwit. But he was not a specialist for the wing, where you should also be able to attack, dribble and cross. Höwedes made some passes go wrong. Sometimes Jogi Löw tore his hair out because Höwedes suddenly tried things that were bound to go wrong. Felix Magath called him the weak point.
