EM 2024: The DFB does not cut a good figure when presenting the squad

Opinion

Jens Riewa introduced Nico Schlotterbeck as the first European Championship driver on the Tagesschau, on Monday evening the roofer Chiara, a craftsman influencer, presented Manuel Neuer, on Tuesday morning Niclas Füllkrug flickered on the radio station “1 live” as the fifth member of the German European Championship squad , later also Chris Führich. There is something refreshing about the way the DFB announces its squad to the public before the home European Championships begin in mid-June.

Gone are the boring press conferences in which a two-minute trailer with the names of all the players was shown, which was then discussed for a maximum of half a day. The German Football Association is now relying on the salami tactic, which becomes a kind of scavenger hunt, and the fans like it. Sometimes ARD or RTL are allowed to announce a name, then again it is the turn of influencers from jobs that have a chronic shortage of skilled workers (care and crafts).

Or, as in Führich’s case, a bakery that prints the name on its bags. One wonders who else will have the opportunity to present a player before the squad is officially announced on Thursday. Does the post office inform us of Toni Kroos’ nomination via a leaflet? Is Annalena Baerbock dancing the name of the winger in the sand on a distant South Sea island? And why hasn’t the disaster alarm, which reaches all German cell phones, been used yet?

Sure, the DFB is making a virtue out of necessity. Before the last international break in March, the appointment of the newcomers around Deniz Undav had become public at an early stage; all that was left for the DFB to do was confirm these names – the authority to interpret the big upheaval shortly before the European Championship was gone. Now the association is going on the offensive, presenting expected greats with Neuer and Tah, but with the nomination of Schlotterbeck and Füllkrug it is also taking the wind out of the sails of the critics who complain that the Champions League finalist from Dortmund is missing out.

There is also a talent in Aleksandar Pavlovic who, despite his nomination in March, was not necessarily on the bill. At the same time, the national team is already in permanent discussion exactly one month before the opening game against Scotland. The squad will not only be discussed on Thursday, but for days. That can make you want to watch the European Championships in your own country – which, given the upcoming finals in the Europa League with Bayer Leverkusen and the Champions League, will take a back seat again due to the timing.

The problem with announcing the squad for the 2024 European Championship? The DFB!

So everything is good? Unfortunately no.

Despite the new channels, the DFB once again manages not to present a particularly happy image to the public. On Instagram, the squad can only be found in the story highlights; in the DFB profile, only the two videos from the influencers can be seen. On the association’s English-language second account, intended for international supporters, all announcements are missing. The DFB is not only refraining from officially confirming this through its own post on Instagram.

On The DFB homepage is currently reminding people of the 2004 European Championship – had anyone asked about the embarrassing elimination back then? In other words: If you want to find out about the current squad, you have to look on the respective club’s website, where you can find the relevant reports.

Why is there no official confirmation from the association anywhere apart from story highlights? Probably only the DFB knows that. Maybe you’ll save that until the official squad presentation on Thursday and don’t want to highlight any of the players. But as it is, the association gives the impression that sovereignty does not lie with the DFB again, but with those who are allowed to publish the next name. The public discourse is once again determined by names, but not by the DFB. A successful external presentation looks different.