![]() ![]() The German fans I spoke to all expressed respect and even sympathy for England and English football. The problem was that it was more than a game only for the English. The magazine wanted to feature the qualifier in its "More than a game" series. Naturally, I was aware that the English felt quite strongly about playing Germany, not least because I had been at this 2001 match in Munich on an assignment for FourFourTwo. He felt that the game in Munich had been more than just another World Cup qualifier but a game between fierce rivals. Mark seemed somewhat hurt by my explanation. Many people have erased this World Cup qualifier from their memory simply because it had no relevance Germany survived the play-offs and went to the World Cup after all. It's not forgetfulness born of shame and pain, though. It's also, and I know how hard this is to take because I can still remember the look on Mark's face when I informed him, that Germans have all but forgotten about that 5-1 defeat in September 2001. It's not - or not just - that I'm a tad slow-witted. ![]() "It's five to one!," he gleefully repeated before triumphantly adding: "In Munich!" ![]() Mark tried to give me two helping hands by showing me five fingers with his left hand and just the index finger on his right. Now I was utterly confused, as it was clearly late afternoon. By way of a reception, he said: "What time is it?" Taken by surprise, I mumbled something about not having a watch but didn't even get to the end of the sentence before he exclaimed: "It's five to one!" In London, someone called Mark put me up in his home. My job was to tell them a bit about our fan culture and alleviate their fears that there would be trouble. Some seven years ago, I zigzagged across the southern part of England as Germany - or more precisely, as a representative of German football.Īhead of the 2006 World Cup, the Goethe Institute sent ambassadors to England for discussions, lectures and interviews in order to prepare the interested public - and of course the travelling England supporters - for the tournament's host country.
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