The Most Important Man in Germany This Month Is Its Soccer Coach
BERLIN — The most important man in Germany this month is not the chancellor, Angela Merkel, or the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, or even the foreign minister, Heiko Maas. It is Joachim Löw, the coach of the German national soccer team.
The reason is simple: Germany is hosting the European Championship, and the team is the host nation’s best hope for a feel-good story in a year that has been anything but.
The country is still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 90,000 people in Germany and left the economy in tatters. The government is struggling to contain a surge in new infections, and the country is deeply divided over how to respond.
The European Championship, which runs from June 11 to July 11, is a rare opportunity for Germans to come together and celebrate something.
“It’s a chance to forget about the pandemic for a while,” said Thomas Kemmerich, a 45-year-old soccer fan from the western city of Cologne. “It’s a chance to forget about the political divisions in the country.”
The tournament, which is being held in 11 cities across the country, is also a chance for Germany to showcase itself to the world. The country has been criticized for its handling of the pandemic, and the tournament is a chance to prove that it can still host major events.
“It’s a chance to show that Germany is still a great country, that we can still organize big events,” said Jens Lehmann, a former goalkeeper for the German national team. “It’s a chance to show that we can still come together and celebrate something.”
The German team is the defending champion, having won the last European Championship in 2016. It is also the reigning world champion, having won the World Cup in 2014.
But the team has struggled in recent years, and there are concerns that it may not be able to repeat its past successes. The team has been plagued by injuries and a lack of form, and there are questions about whether it has the right players to win the tournament.