GERMANY EYE FRESH SUMMER FAIRYTALE

KIT HOLDEN TAKES A LOOK AT THE PROSPECTS OF THE EURO 2024 HOSTS

BY THE time Julian Nagelsmann sat down to announce his Euro 2024 squad, the whole country knew exactly what he was going to say. For days leading up to the offi cial announcement the German FA (DFB) had leaked individual player names to the public in ever more bizarre ways.

Antonio Rudiger was announced by a kebab shop in Berlin. Florian Wirtz’s nomination was confi rmed live on stage at a rap concert in Hamburg. Jonathan Tah was called up by a 93-year-old baking infl uencer in Weimar.

So it went on, until all 27 names were out in the open, and all Nagelsmann had to do was confi rm them.

“The special thing about this tournament is that it’s a home Euros,” said the Germany coach. “The whole country should feel that this is our national team, a team which can excite every one of us, so we wanted as many people involved as possible.”

In truth, it may take more than an elaborate PR stunt to get the whole country behind this Germany team. Recent years have not been kind to the national side’s reputation. The team itself has suffered group stage exits at both of the last World Cups, while the DFB has been hit by tax raids, corruption allegations and an almost constant drumbeat of high-profi le resignations. Ahead of the home Euros, the mood has been muted and expectations low.