[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.
