Speeches
Press statements made by the Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, Franz Beckenbauer, Jürgen Klinsmann and Theo Zwanziger at their meeting held in the Federal Chancellery on 15 March 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
CHANCELLOR DR MERKEL: Ladies and gentlemen. Dear Theo Zwanziger, dear Franz Beckenbauer, dear members of the Organising Committee, dear Oliver Bierhoff and dear Jürgen Klinsmann.
As Federal Chancellor of the grand coalition I have naturally been rather preoccupied over recent months with putting the coalition treaty into effect, driving forward the reform programme and setting the course for a secure future for our country that will see us at the forefront of Europe and the world once again. But, to be quite frank, I can clearly say all this is insignificant in comparison with the matters at hand this evening. Today’s meeting is not about the future of Germany for once but rather about the future of German football. And that is a completely different matter and obviously much more significant.
Ladies and gentlemen. I can put your minds at rest: We haven't included anything about the future of German football in the coalition agreement! In German welfare law there is the rule that social benefit payments should be lower than income that can be earned in the low wage sector (Abstandsgebot) that will play a large part in our discussions about subsidised and low pay. But the gap between Germany's defenders and their opponents is clearly not a matter for politicians to decide. However, you may rest assured that the abolition of the offside rule is not included in our measures to reduce bureaucracy. This rule will stay as it is.
Anyone who expects me to lay down the law on who should play in goal for Germany will be sadly disappointed. Jürgen Klinsmann certainly doesn't need my advice. In my experience it is true to say there can only ever be one number one! The question about whether Germany should play the diamond formation, with two at the back or three up front, is, in the words of an honorary captain, purely a matter for the coach to decide.
Ladies and gentlemen. The German Football Association (Deutscher-Fußballbund – DFB) is one of the largest and most successful associations in the world. I am sure the 2006 World Cup will be a political, cultural and economic success for our country. I am equally sure it will be a sporting success. In 1974 we won the World Cup and again, 16 years later, in 1990. 2006, again 16 years later, sees Germany host the World Cup. I am convinced Jürgen Klinsmann and his team are on the right track. It's right to bring in young,enthusiastic, up and coming players.
Dear Jürgen Klinsmann. You and your team have introduced new methods and done away with outdated custom and practice. Innovation is met with approval as long as you are successful. Defeats bring a storm of criticism with them. You cannot let yourself be put off by that. In my own experience; if you believe your strategy is right you must stick with it. Inconsistency does not inspire confidence. And changing your mind every day does not lead to success.
So that's why I say let's wait and see how we do and what is possible at the 2006 World Cup. Let's not forget, Germany has always performed well in tournaments. In the end, success will depend on whether we Germans want to use our home advantage and whether we want to stand behind our team or whether we write off their chances of winning through discussions and articles before a ball has even been kicked.
This meeting was arranged a long time ago, indeed it was last year. I would like to use this opportunity to find out about the state of the preparations for the World Cup. I would like to know where we are up to with the Federal Government's pledges regarding security, transport, taxes, and visas.
Above all, I would like to thank the whole Organising Committee and Franz Beckenbauer. You are all doing a great job. If I may direct my comments to the President of the German Football Association, Theo Zwanziger, I would like you to pass on very special thanks to the volunteers who are helping with this World Cup, and are looking forward to it, have worked and trained for it and who will ensure that everything runs smoothly.
It has often been said that Germany would not have won the bid to stage the World Cup without Franz Beckenbauer. I am sure that is the case. Franz Beckenbauer, you have been on the road with the "Welcome Tour" for the past few weeks. You have visited all the participating countries to extend a personal invitation to come to Germany. When I travel abroad I sometimes follow in your footsteps and meet enthusiastic heads of state and governments. I am grateful to you for taking on this stressful role.
I would like to wish you all a very warm welcome and trust that you will have the strength, stamina, strong nerves and be in good spirit in the build up to the World Cup. I can assure you the Government will offer its full support. I am quite sure your fellow citizens have already got their fingers crossed and that will be even more the case when the event actually happens.
The 2006 World Cup motto is "A time to make friends". This summer we want to turn this motto into reality. We want to show our country to be cosmopolitan and hospitable. I am sure we can only achieve this if we all pull on the same string. Today's exchange of ideas should contribute to achieve this goal.
BECKENBAUER: Dear Mrs Chancellor. Ladies and gentlemen. I am sorry you have to work today. I didn't imagine that the an information exchange would be preceded by a press conference. But that's Berlin. It's the exception. It is the German capital after all. So we're glad to do it.
Dear Mrs Chancellor. Thank you for your kind invitation. As you rightly pointed out this meeting was arranged months ago. It is intended to be an information exchange. We are very happy that you have shown so much interest and have dedicated so much effort to this World Cup. You know only too well how great an opportunity this offers. We all know that. There won't be another World Cup in this country in the next 50 years. So let's grasp this opportunity with both hands.
The "Welcome Tour" in 31 countries that you mentioned is quite a strain. However, when you see how we are treated and where we are received then it may be compared to a state visit. And I'm sure you haven't received any complaints. We're not that bad at this job. Let's put it this way: We don't embarrass ourselves.
We have already visited 30 countries. We have just one more short trip to make and that's to Australia. That will be the end of the tour. When we were last here for the launch of the World Cup commemorative coin, I bumped into Foreign Minister Steinmeier in the corridor. I was able to address him with: "Colleague. How are you?". That's how we greeted each other. So I think we are good representatives of our country.
Let's look forward to the World Cup. I am glad that Jürgen Klinsmann has now decided to give up his home in California and is coming back to Germany full-time. That's good. Perhaps he will talk about this himself. He's probably had enough of the sun which I can understand. Too much sunshine is no good either. Of course, I'm just kidding.
I'd like to thank you again for this meeting and wish you a very enjoyable evening. Thank you.
KLINSMANN: Dear Mrs Chancellor. On behalf of the management team, including Oliver Bierhoff, we would like to thank you for inviting us and for giving us the opportunity to exchange ideas with you, obviously today particularly on the football side of things.
Many thanks for your warm words of encouragement. At the very moment where you try to change and improve things you sometimes run into trouble. Just like we did in Italy recently. But I can promise: We won't let ourselves be put off. We'll see it through to the end regardless of where we're based.
We will be sending a team that has drive and great self-confidence to a tournament that is of enormous importance to all of us. And, of course, they want to and will have the fans on their side and will play their part in this World Cup. Franz Beckenbauer and his team are ensuring that this will be the biggest and best World Cup ever. We want our team to contribute to making this a quite successful World Cup. He is my top role model. He showed me how it's done. He won the World Cup as both a player and a coach. Perhaps he'll win the World Cup this time as the head of the Organising Committee. I may say: I, too, can do it as a coach. But there is a lot of work still to be done. We will do it. And we won't shy away from occasionally doing things that attract criticism from the gentlemen of the media.
We are looking forward to this evening and would like to thank you once again very much. I now pass the word to the President of the German Football Association Dr Theo Zwanziger.
DR ZWANZIGER: Dear Mrs Chancellor. Ladies and gentlemen. Franz Beckenbauer. Jürgen Klinsmann. I've just had a thought. The 2006 World Cup is just round the corner. It all started way back in 1993 when the DFB put in its bid. Nobody knows that better than Wolfgang Niersbach. Then there wasn't much space in the newspapers for the DFB's first press release about the bid. Today there is army of media people and our fellow countrymen who are excited by this World Cup, are interested in it and, of course, are hoping for success on all levels.
I would like to use this opportunity to make it clear again that the social side of this great event was decisive for our bid. Namely the reunification of Germany that took place a few years earlier in 1990. That was the year we won the World Cup in Italy and we thought that after reunification we had a team that was unbeatable in the long run because in principle we had all the top players in the world.
Today the tournament is not far off and we are grateful, Chancellor, for this reception that once again underlines the nationwide interest in the World Cup. I can assure you, we are confident that with all the work we have done in all the past years and will do this year we have prepared the World Cup well with regard to the organisation. This is among others guaranteed by Horst Schmidt who engages himself in this task as nobody else and is dealing with these difficult issues in the twelve World Cup stadiums. I am sure that we will get it right with the support of all our friends and colleagues.
On behalf of the DFB I would like to mention again that Franz Beckenbauer, who is with us tonight, and Wolfgang Niersbach have displayed incredible endurance over the last few months. It's a fantastic achievement to visit 31 countries and thereby leave a calling card for Germany. I don't think that's ever happened before. That's a sign we've taken abroad to show that we welcome everybody who will be coming here and we look forward to meeting them.
Ladies and gentlemen, the DFB and all its public characters will contribute to making a success of this national event. Of course, we need your agreement. It doesn't make sense to talk things down all the time and just discuss the risks and problems. We simply have to signal to the people who want to see it that this event also brings joy and happiness.
We all know there are always problems with large-scale events. We believe and hope that we will cope with them. That's our target. So I am sure that on June 9 in the Allianz Arena in Munich, which will then be the FIFA World Cup Stadium Munich, we will all have reason to be happy.
This sense of happiness calls for a national team that can really get the fans going. Once again, I would like to stress the DFB's support for this young team, for the coach Jürgen Klinsmann, for "Jogi" Löw, for Oliver Bierhoff and their colleagues and that we are completely certain that we can trust the choices they have made, the long preparation and their planning. And that our team will give all to get fans in Germany into the mood for the World Cup.
Chancellor. Thank you for this reception. It does us credit, not us here, but the many millions of football fans in Germany and the volunteer workers in football. Finally I would like to say: There is the World Cup. But there is also the day after. We look forward to working with you, Chancellor, as I know you are interested not just in professional football but also to a great extent in the social side of our sport. Together we will be able achieve a lot for our country. Thank you very much. We appreciate that this invitation is meant most sincerely and that we enjoy your support.
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