Sports
‘Belief Has Returned To Germany Ahead Euro 2024’
Germany have regained their self-confidence after a 2-0 win against France last week, three months before hosting Euro 2024, World Cup winner Philipp Lahm told Tidesports source in an interview.
Lahm, who is tournament director for Euro 2024, said the promising performance brought back euphoria in our country because the “German national team played football well and played football passionately”.
In Qatar in 2022, Germany reached a new low when they were eliminated at the group stage of a World Cup for the second time in a row.
Hansi Flick became the first Germany coach in history to be sacked and was replaced by Julian Nagelsmann in September.
In Lyon on Saturday, Nagelsmann appeared to be finally moulding a new, young team, less than three months from the opening match of the tournament against Scotland on June 14.
“(Germany) performed completely differently” against France, Lahm said of the victory that came thanks to a first international goal from Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and a Kai Havertz strike.
“We had an established midfield and of course very, very young, dynamic, attacking players. And of course that brings self-confidence.
“But we can only know for sure over a longer period of time.”
Lahm played every minute in Germany’s run to the semi-finals as hosts of the 2006 World Cup before captaining the side to victory in Brazil eight years later.
As captain of the last world-beating German team, Lahm understands how complex the process of developing a top team can be — and that talent may not be enough.
“Super-talented players like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are still relatively young, but have a lot of experience,” he said.
“They certainly have the talent to raise the German national team to another level, but it’s important everything fits together, that the pieces of the puzzle fit together — and that was certainly the case in 2014.
“Everyone identified with their role and made their skills available to the team.”
Saturday’s victory against France even overshadowed the controversy surrounding the DFB’s decision to ditch long-time kit maker Adidas in favour of Nike, ending a 70-year collaboration with the German sports brand.
“I made 113 international appearances for Germany in Adidas, I played at Bayern Munich in Adidas, I only know the national team in Adidas,” Lahm said.
“When I watched Germany play on TV as a child, it was in Adidas.”
Lahm admitted the move was “a change for us in Germany”, but said: “There must have been serious reasons to change.”
Despite the hope fuelled by Germany’s defeat of France on Saturday, Lahm still named the French, spearheaded by Kylian Mbappe, as tournament favourites.
“They have 40 players who are very, very talented. They have a balanced squad,” he said.
“They can always bring players off the bench who would normally be good enough to play from the start.
“But the important thing is that you have a team on the field.”
While predicting a “big football nation” will win, Lahm said he hoped “perhaps there will be a surprise, that a smaller nation will go far in the tournament and will celebrate together with their fans.”
“But as for winning the title? I’m pretty sure it will be a football nation and one of the favourites, one who has won in the past few years.”
The Euro 2024 hosts hope to channel the spirit of the 2006 World Cup which still holds a defining place in the collective German consciousness.
Known as the “summer fairytale”, it was the moment where a unified and modern Germany showcased itself on the world stage.
Just 18 years ago, the tournament seems from a different time, with this year’s event held in a time of global conflicts and uncertainty.
Late in 2023, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) warned the danger of a terror attack was higher than it has been for a long time.
The attack on a concert in Moscow last Friday by militants linked to the Islamic State group which killed 137 people has prompted new security fears in Germany. Neighbouring France has already raised its security alert to its highest level.
Lahm acknowledged the challenges, but said he hoped the tournament could play a unifying role as the World Cup had done in 2006.
“Safety is the highest priority, right from the start until the end of the tournament,” Lahm said.
“It’s a tournament in challenging times, but I still believe it’s important that we keep coming together.
“In Europe, we always come together to strengthen ourselves, to strengthen our democracy.
“Everyone is warmly welcomed to Germany, especially at this time, when there are many challenges all over the world. (It is important) that people can come together again and celebrate together again.”
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.