DFB Vice President Ralph-Uwe Schaffert caused a stir with renewed sharp criticism of the German national players and caused a lack of understanding not only among sports director Rudi Völler.
“It would be time to radically change the playing staff,” said Schaffert in an interview with the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung” and the “Neue Presse” – and the president of the North German and Lower Saxony Association caught several of them on Thursday Counterattack.
Völler told the “Bild” newspaper that it was “nice that everyone is interested in the national team, and criticism is completely okay after the last games. But the way of criticizing our important players in such an excessive way is not acceptable.” Because Schaffert explicitly mentioned Joshua Kimmich by name, Bayern boss Jan-Christian Dreesen appeared “more than irritated”.
Not Schaffert’s first criticism
It wasn’t the first time that Schaffert received significant criticism. This time, the 67-year-old accused many national players of a lack of attitude almost six months before the start of the European Championship in their own country.
“Because I have the feeling that with a not very small number of players currently active, they think they can get by with perhaps 85 percent of the possible effort on the pitch,” said Schaffert. “It used to be an honor to play for Germany. Nowadays I have the feeling for a lot of it that it’s a burden. Then I should leave it if I have that attitude.”
Völler said he couldn’t imagine that Schaffert really meant it that way. “I would be happy to explain this to him again over a cup of coffee,” said the DFB sports director. DFB spokesman Steffen Simon had previously said in an initial reaction to Schaffert’s statements: “The interview was not coordinated. We will work through it internally.”
The DFB vice-president caused a stir at the beginning of this year when he criticized the national players at the New Year’s reception of his home district association in Hildesheim for their behavior during the World Cup in Qatar. “If the German national players cover their mouths like monkeys and order the hairdresser to the hotel, you shouldn’t be surprised if they lose to Japan,” said the most powerful North German football official at the time.
Schaffert criticizes Kimmich and Gündogan
Before the 2-1 opening defeat at the World Cup against Japan, the national players demonstratively covered their mouths. They wanted to protest against the ban on the “One Love” captain’s armband by the world association FIFA. Schaffert later apologized for the monkey comparison and was publicly warned by his DFB executive colleague Ronny Zimmermann to “treat him fairly”.
And now the new criticism from the lawyer, who worked as a judge at the Celle Higher Regional Court for almost 25 years. Schaffert mentioned Kimmich (Bayern Munich) and Ilkay Gündogan (FC Barcelona) by name in the interview. Kimmich has “so far failed to provide proof” that he is a leading player. “Even in the club.” Dreesen countered: “It is incomprehensible when the vice president of the DFB criticizes the performance of a deserving and important national player like Joshua Kimmich in his club.” Creates “a disservice” to the DFB selection.
With national team captain Gündogan, he “strangely plays outstandingly in the club and then plays in the national team in such a way that you could get the idea: Did he send his less talented twin brother?” said Schaffert. Basically, you have to think about the national team: “We may no longer just need the highly gifted, but perhaps also those who are prepared to roll up their sleeves.”
Praise for Nagelsmann
Regardless of his criticism of the national players, Schaffert also sees a problem for the DFB: As an association, when looking for a new coach, it is no longer able to keep up with the sums paid in club football. “The next national coach will no longer get what Hansi Flick got – because the DFB can no longer afford it,” said Schaffert. “You hardly have a Bundesliga coach anymore who earns less than a million. Everything has gone through the roof so much that it can hardly be reduced.”
However, the current national coach Julian Nagelsmann is doing well with the DFB vice-president. “Julian Nagelsmann has already convinced me personally – he introduced himself to our supervisory board and presidium,” said Schaffert. “I believe this was the best of all the variations considered.”
