Germany is subject to heated debate after Euro 2012, why Germany was eliminated in semifinals by Italy. Claims on Germany didn’t win the Euro 2012 because the Germans weren’t German enough and not all of German players singed along with German national anthem.
Berlin / NationalTurk – Germany currently debates the lack of passion shown during national anthem singing. Some German football pundits, analysts even politicians have not been shy about claiming that the German national football team failed to win Euro 2012 because they didn’t tap their inner nationalism and lack of passion during German national anthem will be shown in German media as evidence.
Germany : Early Euro 2012 exit stirs controversy in Germany along with National anthem polemics
As Germans debate whether German national team’s apparent lack of passion about singing the national anthem had anything to do with their loss to Italy in Euro 2012. Half of the German team didn’t sing the national anthem when cameras panned them before the Germany vs Italy Euro 2012 semifinal game.
The Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath, writing in the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper, stated: ‘ Those who saw how fervently the Italians sang, even screamed, their anthem could sense the will with which they would approach the following 95 minutes. I missed this audible commitment, this readiness to want to give all, in the German team.’ and somewhat ignited the Nationalism debate in Germany.
German tabloid Bild : Are Germans patriotic enough ?
On Monday, Bild asked in a back-page headline: ‘Are we patriotic enough?’ and on Tuesday the German tabloid continued the debate with this headline ‘ Why is the national anthem not sung in our schools?
Historian Paul Nolte (49) says : ‘After two dictatorships have abused the symbols and patriotic feelings, there are a lot of difficulties with the understanding and context of German national anthem.’
German-Turk Parliament Member : Mesut & Co. should be grateful to Germany
Turkish-born member of German parliament Serkan Tören (FDP/39) on the silence of footballers during the national anthem:
‘ The fact that many prominent players play with an immigrant background in the national team, makes me proud. That they do not sing the national anthem, makes me ashamed. Ozil & Co. [ players of foreign origin in German National Team ] should be grateful that our country has allowed them to be successful through hard work and high performance.’
‘ It is downright shameful that not all our players sing along with our anthem, ‘ the conservative lawmaker Hans-Peter Uhl was quoted as saying.
Legendary Germany captain and manager Franz Beckenbauer added: ‘ Enthusiasm must start before kick-off and singing loudly together helps with that.’
He said he handed out the text of the anthem to players and obliged them to sing it when he was the national team coach – a period that included West Germany’s 1990 World Cup win.
DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach (61) approached the German national anthem debate rather cautiously and told to German tabloid Bild: ‘ Of course I would like to see as many players agree on singing the National anthem. For me personally this is a very solemn moment. But it must not be forced to do so. ‘
However, the interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, who is responsible for sport, sounded a note of caution. ‘ Of course I always find it good when people sing their national anthem and show their loyalty to their country and their homeland, and show the emotions that are necessary and good for that,’ Friedrich told Bayern2 radio.
‘ But on the other hand: one does not have to, after losing a semi-final, look for every possible reason why things didn’t work out.’
German nationalism is an issue of intense debate in a country still haunted by demons two generations ago.
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