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WHY GERMANY'S 2006 WORLD CUP PATRIOTIC FERVOR IS UNLIKELY TO REPEAT IN 2024

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 BERLIN (AP) — When Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, it unleashed an unexpected burst of national pride across the country. For many Germans, it was the first time they felt they could wave the flag unburdened by the country’s dark past.

As Germany gets ready to host another major soccer tournament, the European Championship, such scenes of patriotic fervor are hard to imagine happening again.

While the national team could yet coax reluctant Germans to celebrate, the country itself is going through difficult times politically, with a far-right surge making many uncomfortable about public displays of national pride.

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Even with Germany’s opening game on Friday against Scotland just days away, there are few German flags hanging from balconies or windows, few national colors on show.

“It’s not going to be like 2006, because we’ve moved on 18 years and there are conflicts everywhere,” said Stephan Uersfeld, a sports columnist for broadcaster NTV. “Conflicts within German society, conflicts within Europe. It hadn’t been the case in 2006.”

Germany was one of the countries where the far-right made significant gains in elections to the European Parliament on Sunday. Alternative for Germany, or AfD, came second.

In 2006, the country wasn’t as polarized. Germans still refer to the World Cup that year as a “Sommermärchen,” or summer fairy-tale.

It was the first time Germany hosted a major soccer tournament since reunification. The economy was recovering from a deep depression with unemployment at 12.6% in 2005 – the highest it’s ever been since the war – and new Chancellor Angela Merkel promised better times to come.

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She enthusiastically cheered along as a young Germany team coached by Jürgen Klinsmann defied expectations to reach the semifinals in a country where soccer is by far the most popular sport. The good weather also played its part. Germans watched on large screens in beer gardens, on the streets or among friends at home, then continued the parties in parks and clubs.

“It was just a great atmosphere,” Uersfeld said. “I think the entire country was proud to actually host a tournament and be such a great host. They couldn’t believe that people liked what they saw in Germany. You had people coming from all over the world.”

He said hosting a European Championship isn’t as big as hosting a World Cup.

It’s questionable if even a World Cup would generate a similar celebratory mood now as in 2006. There hasn’t been the same collective mass-displays of national pride in the country since, not even after Germany won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Anxiety over the rise of AfD, which uses the German flag frequently in campaigning, and more extremist groups has put many Germans off from displaying national symbols.

“Nobody wants to be confused with the right-wing stuff,” said Axel Lischke, a sound engineer in Berlin.

He described himself as a fan of soccer, but not particularly of Germany, and said he would likely root for Scotland in the opening match on Friday.

“I would love to see German society treating everyone equally,” said Lischke, who suggested the image of the multicultural German national team is only a vision. He pointed to the treatment of former Germany international Mesut Özil after the team flopped at the 2018 World Cup.

Özil, who has Turkish roots, was made the scapegoat for Germany’s group-stage exit and a target for racist abuse. The president of the German soccer federation, DFB, at the time, Reinhard Grindel, later regretted not giving Özil more support.

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The DFB has since positioned itself in direct opposition to the far-right, promoting inclusion and tolerance. It has launched campaigns against racism and discrimination.

“It’s part of our work,” DFB general secretary Heike Ullrich told The AP. “You cannot say that sport has no role in politics. And we know how strongly football can be used as a model to send out politically important messages.”

Just before Euro 2024, a TV documentary questioned the German national team’s role in fostering integration in a multicultural society.

Germany defender Jonathan Tah and former internationals Shkodran Mustafi and Gerald Asamoah talked about the racism and hostility they faced.

The program on public broadcaster ARD included a survey asking 1,304 participants if they would prefer more white players on the team. One in five replied they would.

Both Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann and midfielder Joshua Kimmich said they were shocked that the broadcaster would even ask such a question.

“When you consider that we are about to host a European Championship at home, it’s absurd to ask such a question when the aim is actually to unite the whole country,” Kimmich said. “It’s about achieving great things together. As a team, we’re trying to get everyone in Germany behind us.”

To what extent that will happen – even if it doesn’t reach 2006 levels – will become clear once Germany gets the tournament underway on Friday.

- CIARÁN FAHEY

KLINSMANN SAYS HE WON'T RESIGN -- BUT WOULD SOUTH KOREA GIVE HIM A SACK?

 

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A parting of ways can be initiated either way.

So, just because a defiant Jürgen Klinsmann says -- in the wake of South Korea's disappointing semifinal elimination at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup -- that he will not resign, that does not mean the Korea Football Association cannot opt to dispense with his services.

The question is, will they?

Recent history bodes well for Klinsmann given the KFA are far from 

In the past decade or so, only Uli Stielike has been outrightly given the sack. Instead, the modus operandi of the KFA sees them allow their coaches to run down their contract and then opt against an extension as was the case with Klinsmann's predecessors Paulo Bento and Shin Tae-Yong.

When Klinsmann was unveiled as the new man at the helm of South Korea last February, it was revealed he had signed a contract through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup -- a tournament that they should have no real difficulty qualifying for over the next year and a half.

And on paper, bowing out of the Asian Cup in the last four following a shock 2-0 loss to Jordan, while not ideal for a team that were genuine contenders to win a first title since 1960, is far from an outright failure.

But while there may not be immediate cause for concern for Klinsmann, that is not to say that he will be on a tighter leash now with plenty of areas to show improvement in.

By now, anyone that has remotely kept abreast of developments surrounding South Korea in the past year would be aware of the various criticism directed Klinsmann's way.

KLINSMANN URGES CALM AHEAD OF SOUTH KOREA'S ASIAN CUP SEMIFINAL

Jurgen Klinsmann urged his South Korea players to maintain calm ahead of the Asian Cup semifinal against Jordan. Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

 DOHA, Qatar -- Jürgen Klinsmann's message to his South Korean players as they prepare for a pivotal Asian Cup semifinal against Jordan is a simple one: Relax.

After a shaky group stage that saw them advance in second place, South Korea recorded back-to-back wins over fellow Asian powers Saudi Arabia and Australia to move into the semifinals and set up a meeting with Jordan on Tuesday.

In both of their knockouts, they fell behind and were forced to stage a late fightback, equalising in the 99th minute against the Saudis and the 96th minute against the Socceroos before going to win on penalties and in extra time respectively.

They're performances that have seen the team's style christened as 'Zombie Football' by their fans, in line with their coach's belief that teams needed to be willing to "suffer" to progress in tournament football.

SOUTH KOREA HAVE SON, BUT IS KLINSMANN THE RIGHT COACH?

South Korea are relying on Son Heung-Min and Jurgen Klinsmann to end the nation's 64-year trophy drought. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

South Korea rank among Asia's best sides, yet they last won the AFC Asian Cup in 1960; it's a fact that feels as if it must be wrong, incongruous as it is with their global footballing standing. Yet as former Germany and United States coach Jürgen Klinsmann prepares to lead the Taeguk Warriors into their latest attempt to win the trophyhe is working not only against the weight of history, but also significant domestic skepticism.

South Korea are one of the few teams competing at January's Asian Cup that most global observers will consider themselves somewhat familiar with. They have gone to every World Cup since 1986, finishing fourth as co-hosts in 2002 and progressing to the knockout phase twice since then. In 2022, they were part of a final matchday in Group H so gripping that it likely played a role in FIFA abandoning plans for three-team groups at the expanded 2026 tournament. South Korea's under-23 side, meanwhile, were bronze medalists at the 2012 Olympics, subsequently advancing to the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, and won the past three Asian Games titles. The K1 League is one of Asia's strongest, and 12 AFC Champions League titles are more than those won any other nation.

Nevertheless, South Korea's Asian Cup drought stands at 64 years and counting.