Before joining the DFB presidium, Hans-Joachim Watzke has taken a clear stand against the term “Die Mannschaft” for the German national team.
“Perhaps the first thing to do is to stop calling the team ‘Die Mannschaft’,” the Borussia Dortmund manager told Der Spiegel. “This term is too detached for me. It is disrespectful to all other successful teams. ‘The team’ doesn’t exist, there are many teams. We have to become more down-to-earth, go back to basics.”
Watzke, who will be part of the DFB presidium as DFL supervisory board chairman from 11 February, therefore wants to campaign for the marketing designation to be abolished. “I will at least suggest that. “
Watzke: “DFB far too little involved with football “
“Die Mannschaft” as a nickname for the German national team had been introduced in 2015 under the leadership of DFB director Oliver Bierhoff and had repeatedly caused criticism – especially after the historic World Cup exit in 2018.
Bierhoff, however, had held on to the term, pointing to an independent study according to which it met with high acceptance, especially among young people, women and abroad. At the same time, the national team has since endeavoured to show more proximity again.
Watzke also calls for this. In recent years, the DFB has been “far too concerned with itself and far too little with football. One point: We have to present our national team better. Show more closeness. Have more sense for what people want. “
