German soccer bosses have blamed the ‘holiday feeling’ around their ‘isolated’ resort in Qatar for their World Cup elimination.
Hansi Flick’s side were defeated by Japan in their first group match, putting them in an uphill battle to reach the round of 16. They then drew 1-1 against Spain before beating Costa Rica 4-2 in their final group match, but it wasn’t enough. see them go to the next round.
This was the second consecutive world cup that they have been eliminated in the group stage. In 2018, they were in a group consisting of South Korea, Sweden, and Mexico and finished fourth in the group, joining as reigning champions.
And now Bild (via the Daily Mail) has reported that German officials partly blame the festive mood at the players’ complex for their early elimination. The report says DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke met for a “two-hour crisis meeting” to discuss what went wrong in their quest for World Cup glory. .
Players’ wives, girlfriends, children and families were mentioned during the meeting, with suggestions that their presence apparently made some players ‘uncomfortable’.
The report claims that after their draw against Spain, some players invited WAGS to stay at their resort for two nights before their crucial last game against Costa Rica. This is said to have “caused friction between German FA staff, top management and some players”, with the DFB hierarchy “being as baffled by events off the pitch as on it”.
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However, manager Hansi Flick has refused to accept that the players’ families or the isolated base are to blame for their removal.
