Coach Stefan Kuntz cannot fill his squad for the Olympic Games in Japan. Above all, he lacks the support of the clubs. This is a disappointment for German football. The clubs trample the Olympic spirit. As a fan, you can support your teams simply by watching the games on your TV, live streaming on your laptop, and live at the field whenever possible. If you like placing bets for your favorite team you can visit NetBet Sport.
German football suffers from far more than Joachim Löw’s wrong EM tactics. He has fundamental problems and needs far-reaching changes to even have the chance to make it back to the top of the world. It takes a rethink – not only in the German Football Association (DFB) but above all in the management levels of the Bundesliga clubs.
This is shown by the statements of Stefan Kuntz. It is alarming. And shows everyone what is wrong. There is too little togetherness and too little mutual commitment.
Kuntz is training the German selection, which will compete in the Olympic Games in Japan from next week. Months ago, the coach drew up a list of 100 players, phoned clubs, and professionals – and in the end, there were only 18 players left for his squad, including three goalkeepers.
Kuntz could have taken 22 players to Japan, so he has to leave four squad places open. There is probably no other sport like that. Even if no spectators will cheer in the stands due to the global situation: Mind you, it is about the line-up for the largest sporting event in the world. The fact that Kuntz now has to compete with a rump squad in Japan is an indictment of German football. And for German sport in general.
The coach rightly criticizes the lack of support from most clubs. In recent years, those responsible for the clubs have repeatedly emphasized the importance of youth work. When it comes to releasing the players, sometimes there is no action. That is bitter for Kuntz – and anything but beneficial for German football.
Should a player injure himself during the Olympic Games, Kuntz can no longer make full use of his five exchange options with field players. FC Bayern, for example, was not ready to release their substitute goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann. Due to the tight rhythm of the game and the intensity, Kuntz must expect injuries.
Five years ago, the Germans made it to the finals at the summer games in Brazil, only to lose on penalties against the hosts in Brazil. The result: the market values of the German players rose. In the DFB they are now emphasizing that the clubs also benefited from it back then. That’s true. Serge Gnabry, for example, developed into a much sought-after attacking star and is now playing for FC Bayern.
In this respect, more support would have been appropriate. German football tramples the Olympic spirit. Several clubs let Kuntz and his selection down. That is more than a shame. It’s unfair.
Tournaments at the highest level with international comparisons take players to the next level. National coach Hans-Dieter “Hansi” Flick also relies on young players receiving support before he can call them up for the national team. Experiences like participating in the Olympic Games are irreplaceable.
It takes more dialogue, more exchange, and the willingness of the clubs to put their interests aside to bring German football forward. Otherwise, they will stay second class for a long time.
What is Stefan’s Kuntz background?
Stefan Kuntz (born October 30, 1962, in Neunkirchen) is a former German football player and official and current football coach. As a player, he made a total of 449 games (179 goals) in the Bundesliga for VfL Bochum, Bayer 05 Uerdingen, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Arminia Bielefeld from 1983 to 1999. He also played in Turkey for Beşiktaş Istanbul.
With 1. FC Kaiserslautern he won the DFB Cup in 1990 and the German champion in 1991. In 1985/86 and 1993/94 seasons, he was the top scorer in the Bundesliga, 1987/88, and 1989/90 also in the DFB Cup. From 1993 to 1997 Kuntz was a national team player of the DFB and became European champion in 1996. In 1991 he was voted Germany’s first footballer of the year who had not yet played in the national team.
After several, above all, lower-class positions as a coach, of which Karlsruher SC was the most prominent between 2000 and 2002, Kuntz was manager of VfL Bochum from 2006 to 2008 and chairman of the board of 1. FC Kaiserslautern from 2008 to 2016. Since August 2016 he has been working again as a coach for the German U21 national team and led them to the title at both the European Championships in Poland in 2017 and the European Championships in Slovenia in 2021.
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Explanation: player statistics (a/b c)
a - games played this season
b - goals scored
c - team position (d - defender, m - midfielder, f - forward, g - goalkeeper).
