The dream of winning the World Cup title in Canada is over, but, shortly before their third-place match, Germany’s Women can still look back on a successful tournament. This is also the belief of DFB general secretary Helmut Sandrock. In an interview with DFB.de, he explains why he is proud of the team, why he cannot understand criticisms of coach Silvia Neid and what he’s hoping for from the team’s final game.
DFB.de: Mr Sandrock, what is your impression of the team?
Helmut Sandrock: Before the World Cup my impression was always very good. I said goodbye to the team after their preparations and friendly match in Switzerland, and you got the feeling then that the team was ready. It’s a shame that they haven’t reached the final, but the team have provided a great advert for the game whilst here in Canada.
DFB.de: How was the semi-final against the USA and the following days for you?
Sandrock: In the quarter-final against France it was already obvious how tight the end of the tournament would be. You wouldn’t expect anything less when the team ranked first in the world plays the team ranked second. Despite our missed penalty and a dubious one against us, you ultimately have to concede that the USA were the deserved winners in the end. Of course the disappointment was huge, and there were some tears flowing, but we all have to go into the third-place match with confidence.
DFB.de: Despite the semi-final kicking off at 1am in Germany, the game had a television audience of 2.63 million. What do you say about that?
Sandrock: We have seen for years that the Women’s team is hugely important, and that has been shown again. The viewing figures were really great, although its nothing compared to the 7.6 million from the quarter-final, because this kick-off time was too late for viewers at home. Nevertheless, 2.6 million viewers at that time of the night is really good.
DFB.de: There were some critical voices after the semi-final, what do you think of that?
Sandrock: We are one of the top four teams at this World Cup, want to finish third and therefore show that we are the best European team. Of course we would’ve liked to be in the final, but we came up against a very strong team in the USA. I’m quite startled at how some Bundesliga coaches have spoken out publically against the national team and the coach. Silvia Neid has shaped the face of our Women’s team and enjoyed great success, and so she will continue to enjoy our complete trust.
DFB.de: You travel out to Vancouver on Friday, what are you going out there?
Sandrock: There is a big FIFA symposium about women’s and girl’s football out there, and I will be attending with the DFB vice-president Hannelore Ratzeburg. We want to find out there if there are new approaches to women’s football that could be interesting in Germany. We are already very familiar with many topics because we are quite advanced, such as the structuring and funding of clubs. There will be a presentation about the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga. That shows that the world can look towards Germany and exchange views with partners, such as Allianz. All 209 national associations will be represented, and I find that it’s very important to have everyone there.
DFB.de: You will meet up again with the team in time for the third-place match on Saturday. What sort of a game are you expecting?
Sandrock: The team and the coaching staff want to win this final game so that we can travel home with a positive mindset. We saw with the men at the 2006 World Cup how atmospheric such an encounter can be. I’m sure that it will be a great game for our team and we will win it.
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The dream of winning the World Cup title in Canada is over, but, shortly before their third-place match, Germany’s Women can still look back on a successful tournament. This is also the belief of DFB general secretary Helmut Sandrock. In an interview with DFB.de, he explains why he is proud of the team, why he cannot understand criticisms of coach Silvia Neid and what he’s hoping for from the team’s final game.
DFB.de: Mr Sandrock, what is your impression of the team?
Helmut Sandrock: Before the World Cup my impression was always very good. I said goodbye to the team after their preparations and friendly match in Switzerland, and you got the feeling then that the team was ready. It’s a shame that they haven’t reached the final, but the team have provided a great advert for the game whilst here in Canada.
DFB.de: How was the semi-final against the USA and the following days for you?
Sandrock: In the quarter-final against France it was already obvious how tight the end of the tournament would be. You wouldn’t expect anything less when the team ranked first in the world plays the team ranked second. Despite our missed penalty and a dubious one against us, you ultimately have to concede that the USA were the deserved winners in the end. Of course the disappointment was huge, and there were some tears flowing, but we all have to go into the third-place match with confidence.
DFB.de: Despite the semi-final kicking off at 1am in Germany, the game had a television audience of 2.63 million. What do you say about that?
Sandrock: We have seen for years that the Women’s team is hugely important, and that has been shown again. The viewing figures were really great, although its nothing compared to the 7.6 million from the quarter-final, because this kick-off time was too late for viewers at home. Nevertheless, 2.6 million viewers at that time of the night is really good.
DFB.de: There were some critical voices after the semi-final, what do you think of that?
Sandrock: We are one of the top four teams at this World Cup, want to finish third and therefore show that we are the best European team. Of course we would’ve liked to be in the final, but we came up against a very strong team in the USA. I’m quite startled at how some Bundesliga coaches have spoken out publically against the national team and the coach. Silvia Neid has shaped the face of our Women’s team and enjoyed great success, and so she will continue to enjoy our complete trust.
DFB.de: You travel out to Vancouver on Friday, what are you going out there?
Sandrock: There is a big FIFA symposium about women’s and girl’s football out there, and I will be attending with the DFB vice-president Hannelore Ratzeburg. We want to find out there if there are new approaches to women’s football that could be interesting in Germany. We are already very familiar with many topics because we are quite advanced, such as the structuring and funding of clubs. There will be a presentation about the Allianz Women’s Bundesliga. That shows that the world can look towards Germany and exchange views with partners, such as Allianz. All 209 national associations will be represented, and I find that it’s very important to have everyone there.
DFB.de: You will meet up again with the team in time for the third-place match on Saturday. What sort of a game are you expecting?
Sandrock: The team and the coaching staff want to win this final game so that we can travel home with a positive mindset. We saw with the men at the 2006 World Cup how atmospheric such an encounter can be. I’m sure that it will be a great game for our team and we will win it.
