When Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, it unleashed an unexpected burst of national pride across the country. It was the first time many Germans felt they could wave the flag unburdened by the country’s dark past. Germany is getting ready to host another major soccer tournament, the European Championship.
FILE - A German soccer fan sings the German national anthem prior to the beginning of the Round of 16 of the World Cup soccer match Germany against Sweden at the public viewing area where fans could watch the match live from Munich, on a giant television screen in Berlin, Saturday, June 24, 2006. Germany gets the 2024 European Championship underway against Scotland in Munich on Friday. However, away from the stadiums and public-viewing areas, few German flags are flying.
“It’s not going to be like 2006, because we’ve moved on 18 years and there are conflicts everywhere,” said Stephan Uersfeld, a sports columnist for broadcaster NTV. “Conflicts within German society, conflicts within Europe. It hadn’t been the case in 2006.
She enthusiastically cheered along as a young Germany team coached by Jürgen Klinsmann defied expectations to reach the semifinals in a country where soccer is by far the most popular sport. The good weather also played its part. Germans watched on large screens in beer gardens, on the streets or among friends at home, then continued the parties in parks and clubs.
“Nobody wants to be confused with the right-wing stuff,” said Axel Lischke, a sound engineer in Berlin. “It’s part of our work,” DFB general secretary Heike Ullrich told The AP. “You cannot say that sport has no role in politics. And we know how strongly football can be used as a model to send out politically important messages.”
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