Emmanuel Thomas, DPA, Friday, July 07, 2023
BERLIN – Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg has insisted that her team, the German women football team does not feel it has to make up for modest showings on the men’s side at the upcoming women’s World Cup.
“We don’t see ourselves in this role because we have our own ambitions,” Voss-Tecklenburg told dpa in an interview ahead of the July 20-August 20 tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
“We want to play a great World Cup and don’t want this comparison to the men. We are looking at and concentrating on ourselves.”
The German men’s team is winless in their last four games and yet to achieve a turnaround after a group stage exit at last year’s World Cup, and to win back fans in the run-up to next year’s Euros at home. In addition, the Under-21 side went out in the group stage of the current Euros as title holders.
The women football team thrilled fans with a run to the Euro 2022 final against England which became the most viewed TV sports programme of the year in Germany.
German Football Federation (DFB) head of national teams Joti Chatzialexiou said on Wednesday that “I would be happy if the German women can kiss the German football fans awake again.”
Voss Tecklenburg said: “Of course it would be much nicer for me as a DFB staff member if we had success together and on many levels.
“I am always confident. We want to perform well – regardless of what happens around us,” she said.
As two-time champions, striker Alexandra Popp and company are contenders for the World Cup title, and Voss-Tecklenburg confirmed these ambitions at the World Cup where Morocco, Colombia and South Korea are the group stage opponents.
“If we weren’t convinced that we had the potential and quality to play for this title we wouldn’t name this as our goal,” she said.
“But we are aware that many things have to come together.”
