After the disastrous campaign at the Qatar World Cup, Oliver Bierhoff has a clear recommendation for the German Football Association (DFB).
“Players must be protected. They should not let themselves be carried away. They should be told: Let the media complain and focus on the sport,” Bierhoff told the magazine stern.
The former DFB manager suggests that the association adopt a kind of protective stance for the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, especially given the political debates surrounding US President Donald Trump. “The DFB should take a position once and then make it clear: ‘Leave the team alone! Have your moral debates if you must, but not at the expense of the players.'”
Bierhoff believes Trump will instrumentalize the World Cup for his own purposes. “A critical comment from a single footballer won’t change that,” he said. “There are close economic ties to the United States, and our government is working to maintain good relations. Why should the national team take a different stance?” He added that he finds most of the debates “hypocritical.”
Looking back at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the DFB under Bierhoff’s leadership had planned to wear the “One Love” armband before backing down under FIFA pressure, Bierhoff admitted, “Today I think: A team must think very carefully about taking a political stance during a tournament.” He argues that political statements should come from the association’s leadership, not the players.
“I would have wished that the DFB presidium had spoken more clearly about Qatar and stood in front of the team. Instead, I felt they rather hid behind the team and me,” he criticized. After Germany’s group-stage exit in Qatar, the DFB and Bierhoff parted ways after 18 years.
DFB officials have since stressed that mistakes from Qatar should not be repeated and that political topics should be kept out of the dressing room. Human rights organizations have been watching the developments in the US under Trump’s leadership with concern for months.
