Seven
months have passed since Italy beat France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
final in Berlin. Dr. Theo Zwanziger looks back on a period of many
new developments. The President of the German Football Association
(Deutscher Fußball-Bund, DFB) also comments on the most
recent debates about adidas and Nike.
Question:
Mr. Zwanziger, Germany’s Mannschaft had a convincing start into the
new year, beating Switzerland 3-1.
Now, football fans in Germany cannot wait until March 24, when your
team will battle the Czech Republic for first place in the EURO
qualifying. Do you ever have time to reminisce about the World Cup?
Zwanziger:
I remember our last game in Dortmund. We put up a great fight in the
semi-final against Italy, but lost in the last few minutes. It was
heartbreaking. Then, a few days later, this amazing World Cup ended
with Italy’s fourth World Cup title. The World Cup had so many
effects, on the public image of our national team, on the DFB, even
on the way the world views our country. But even though it seems like
only yesterday, so much has happened since the end of the World Cup.
Question:
What were the major developments on the football field?
[bild1]Seven
months have passed since Italy beat France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
final in Berlin. Dr. Theo Zwanziger looks back on a period of many
new developments. The President of the German Football Association
(Deutscher Fußball-Bund, DFB) also comments on the most
recent debates about adidas and Nike.
Question:
Mr. Zwanziger, Germany’s Mannschaft had a convincing start into the
new year, beating Switzerland 3-1.
Now, football fans in Germany cannot wait until March 24, when your
team will battle the Czech Republic for first place in the EURO
qualifying. Do you ever have time to reminisce about the World Cup?
Zwanziger:
I remember our last game in Dortmund. We put up a great fight in the
semi-final against Italy, but lost in the last few minutes. It was
heartbreaking. Then, a few days later, this amazing World Cup ended
with Italy’s fourth World Cup title. The World Cup had so many
effects, on the public image of our national team, on the DFB, even
on the way the world views our country. But even though it seems like
only yesterday, so much has happened since the end of the World Cup.
Question:
What were the major developments on the football field?
Zwanziger:
Even beyond the field, I can see so many positives. Really, a lot was
done in such a short time. We had the coaching change immediately
following the tournament. Joachim Löw took over from Jürgen
Klinsmann. It was a passing of the baton conducted with great mutual
respect. Since then, Löw has accumulated six wins and one tie,
and 27:3 goals. I think that’s pretty respectable. Without a single
defeat, our women’s team
has qualified for the World Cup in China. They’ll enter the
tournament in September as defending champions. Rest assured, that
our coach Silvia Neid and her staff will prepare our team perfectly
for the Chinese challenge.
Question:
There have been a number of off-the-field topics as well.
Zwanziger:
We have founded a task force, where the DFB will pool resources in
the fight against violence and racism in football. We have to protect
our beautiful game against these pied pipers. Gül Keskinler, our
new appointee for integration, is also a member of the task force.
These last few weeks, our existing partnership with adidas and the
offer by Nike have been a much-discussed topic. We’ll continue
negotiations with adidas. But they have to beef up their offer
Question:
Let’s time travel some more. How do you remember February and March
of last year?
Zwanziger.
As I recollect that time, some fans were quite anxious back then.
Organisations such as the German consumers' watchdog
organisation Stiftung Warentest or
data protection experts painted a most gloomy picture for the
upcoming World Cup. Dangerous stadium facilities, a poorly conceived
ticketing system, the
threat of a looming football fiasco – there were
so many prophets of doom, it was ridiculous. You would have thought
that all of our beautiful stadiums would collapse any minute. The
end of the world seemed nigh.
Well, it turned out quite differently.
Question:
Your expectations for the near future?
Zwanziger:
Our national team should continue to play a positive role. Winning on
March 24 against the Czech Republic would be a tremendous
accomplishment. Our women, hopefully, will play a good World Cup
(September 10-30), so that women’s football will continue to grow.
Soon, the DFB will officially announce our bid to host the 2011 FIFA
World Cup. The juniors’ squads have a few important tournaments
coming up in 2007. Finally, the DFB needs to have a strong say on
international affairs. With Franz Beckenbauer being elected to
the FIFA Executive Committee and Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder’s work in
the UEFA Executive Committee, we have the ideal basis for our
international positions.