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Angela Merkel and the national team: Greetings to the sponsor – sport

In Sopot, on the Polish shore of the Baltic Sea, it was raining incessantly when the German national team lived there during Euro 2012. The “great charisma” with which Angela Merkel filled the team’s hotel named Olivenhof with her visit was most welcome. The valiant compliment came from substitute goalkeeper Tim Veese, who played a key role in the head of government’s regular visits at the time: he traditionally gave the guest’s farewell speech. Once it happened that Angela Merkel looked at him in vain when she came to the dressing room after an international match to say a few words to the team. “I won’t start without a meadow,” she said.

Angela Merkel served as the national team sponsor in those years. They got closer during the 2006 World Cup, at the end of the tournament, Merkel and the team were sitting on the roof of the Berlin Chancellery over chicken and beer, and Oliver Bierhoff admired the “There was no protocol” party.

Indeed, over time, confrontations between senior figures in politics and football became more and more informal, at first the players tied their ties well, and then simply kept their tracksuits, as evidenced by the photo from the visit to an olive farm: Merkel is dressed in a uniform of gentlemen Table by Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose.

Merkel’s photo with Ozil celebrated as a message of integration

However, the famous photo of another summit meeting drew insult: It wasn’t because Mesut Ozil was only half-clothed when he shook hands with Merkel in 2010 after the 3-0 win over Turkey. But because then-DFB president Theo Zwanziger didn’t know anything about the photoshoot and wasn’t allowed into the booth when he finally rushed out. This was followed by a formal protest note. Maybe he would like to be in the picture.

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The photo with Ozil was celebrated as a merging message, the photo that Turkish President Erdogan took with Ozil eight years later is unlike the photo. At this point, at the latest, the ease with which the contact between Merkel, Jogi Lo and his team had begun is over. It was a relationship that both sides liked and benefited from, the government and the German Confederation. Real feelings of sympathy arose behind the stage to increase the values ​​of popularity.

On the occasion of Angela Merkel’s departure from office, now remind some of her old comrades about it. Sami Khedira and Jerome Boateng wrote sublime words of praise, and Bastian Schweinsteiger suggested that Germany “will still miss” Merkel. “Maybe we’ll see you next year for ginger tea,” he wrote. Then again without Theo Zwanziger.