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German discontent The Kaiser speaks out on national team's problems
Posted: Monday April 17, 2000 07:07 PM
German football great Franz Beckenbauer has joined the growing list of "discontents" in his homeland, who feel the national soccer team is verging on free-fall. For now, there are enough solid players around to see Germany tread international water. They have made it through to Euro 2000, albeit without much fanfare and a defeat in Turkey. But there are few signs of a new generation of superstars coming through -- at least if players past and present are to be believed. Bayern Munich midfielder Jens Jeremies chose to condemn the German national coach Eric Ribbeck recently and intimated the team was heading in just one direction... down. After his comments, Jeremies was left out of the German squad to face Switzerland but was later supported by teammates Markus Babbel and Oliver Kahn. AC Milan striker Oliver Bierhoff, Germany's star forward, later agreed with him as well. So, too, did ex-German international Uli Hoeness, now general manager at Bayern. While Beckenbauer appeared to distance himself from their comments regarding the coach, he was all-too-willing to point out the current lack of talent in the game there. Beckenbauer, speaking to Munich newspaper Abendzeitung, declared: "German football has touched the bottom and is at the crossroads of its destiny. "It does no good to anyone, constantly having a go at the coach... the truth is we have a dearth of talent.
"We Germans can't even dribble with the ball now. We are in the presence of a generation of players that do not have a lot to offer." Then, as if he was backtracking after such a damning assessment of the German soccer state, the World Cup-winning player and coach added: "All the same, that does not mean Germany cannot be European champions. Apart from the Dutch, all the other big teams have their own problems." But Germany's problems seem more deeply rooted than others. While the likes of Italy founders for a playmaking midfielder and England tries to use the talents of Michael Owen, David Beckham et al in a more pleasing mix, Germany is offering its supporters little hope for a rosy future with a lackluster team of few world class names. We can all rattle off players from the Netherlands (Kluivert, Davids, the de Boers, Bergkamp), France (Zidane, Petit, Blanc, Deschamps, Desailly, Barthez), Italy (Del Piero, Dino Baggio, Maldini, the Inzaghis) and even England (Beckham, Owen, Shearer, Seaman, Adams). But Germany? Well, after Kahn, Jeremies and Bierhoff, I'm not sure who deserves to be on a lofty international pedestal any more. It's no coincidence those very players are the ones doing the complaining. They need only look around the changing room on game night to know this isn't a Germany, say, of Brehme, Matthaeus and Klinsmann -- or Beckenbauer, Breitner and Muller. Where are the Karl Heinz Rummenigges, the Gunter Netzers, the Rudi Voellers of tomorrow? For Jeremies and pals to say it is one thing. But when the Kaiser talks out, it is quite another. Beckenbauer is a worried man about the state of the German game. The German federation would be foolish to ignore him.
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