German football legend Lothar Matthaus says their FA ‘let the team down’ on One Love armband furore

Lothar Matthaus has criticized the German Football Federation, claiming they ‘let their team down’ over their stance on wearing the One Love Armband at the World Cup in Qatar.

Germany entered the competition as one of the favourites, having triumphed in the tournament in 2014, but have underperformed in the competition ever since, exiting the group stage in 2018 and failing to qualify for the round of 16 again this year.

Matthaus, who has scored 23 goals in 150 appearances for his national team, spoke on Sky Sports Germany when asked to give his opinion on how the German FA approached FIFA’s decision to ban teams from wearing the One Love armbands.

Die Manschaft suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Japan in their opening game of the tournament, but the story before the game revolved around the defiant statement by the mouth-covering German team in opposition to FIFA’s decision to ban LGBTQ+ bracelets at the tournament.

When asked about the matter, Matthaus criticized those at the highest level of Germany’s board of directors who “let the team down” by not continuing to speak out about the broader issues circulating at the tournament.

“Oliver Bierhoff is of course responsible because he couldn’t handle the pressure and discomfort from abroad,” Matthaus told Sky Sports Germany. “Not only him, but also the president and the people in charge of the DFB, they all let the coach and the team down.”

‘I hope that the DFB will speak honestly about its mistakes. I think of President Neuendorf, who criticized everything here in Doha before the World Cup and then I see him during the game sitting in the stands next to Gianni Infantino and smiling at the camera for 3 minutes.

“The players realize that, they pressure them to set an example and protest, but then they see the people who demand it smiling on camera.”

On the pitch, Germany’s performances left much to be desired, with the former world champions reliving their heartbreak from 2018, falling out of the group after losing to Japan, drawing 1-1 with Spain and leaving things perhaps too late against Costa. Delicious.

Since winning the World Cup in 2014, Germany have struggled at every tournament, failing to make it past the round of 16 at Euro 2020, and also dropped out of the Nations League in the group stage in 2021 and again this year. .

While Matthaus admitted he has an affinity for Germany coach Hansi Flick, he criticized his compatriot, saying his team “could have been more prepared.”

He said: ‘The team was not well trained and that is a mistake. I have to blame the coach for that, even though I never criticized Hansi Flick before. For me he is the right coach, but he did things in the first game and in the preparation that perhaps should have been done differently.”

‘The many changes, especially in the position of right back and forward, was one of the reasons for the elimination from the group stage.

‘In terms of the football that was played, it was a different elimination than four years ago in Russia. We played three bad games back then. This year I would say two and a half games was perfectly fine.

‘Of course it is also responsible for the failure of recent years. We not only played three embarrassing tournaments in a row, but also two group stage exits from the Nations League. The goals they had set for themselves were different.

It’s not all doom and gloom for Matthaus, however, who admitted there is a lot of potential in Germany’s current squad and that his compatriot Flick should remain in charge until the 2024 World Cup.

‘I hope the young players who were here will develop more in the next 2 years. I also believe that Hansi Flick will be the coach at Euro 2024,” Matthaus said. “Hansi is shy and I am convinced that by 2024 we will see a team that will put together and train well from the start.”