[Driver X]

Lothar Mathaus has launched a scathing attack on his team-mates, after their embarrassing exit from Euro 2000.
Matthaus brought the curtain down on his glittering international career in the 3-0 defeat by Portugal and then turned on the current crop of internationals.

"We must look very closely at the character of the players," the New York Metrostars player said. "It would be better to use less talented players who actually put their hearts into the game and are proud to play for Germany.

"There must never be another German team in which every player earns millions, but is not ready to give their all.

"When I first wake up in the mornings I first think it was a bad dream. Then I have to realise it wasn’t.

"I’ve spent 20 years in the national team and I’ve never experienced such a thing. We had a characterless team. I’m happy it’s all over."

He also branded the players as disgraces for undertaking a late-night drinking session after the Portugal match, saying: "I saw that when I was going back to the airport with a number of players from Bayern Munich.

"It is a scandal, a disgrace and characterless to get drunk through the night after such a catastrophic game, after such a terrible run in the tournament.

"The German FA (DFB) has time to analyse the situation. Many of the people from the DFB were there and they must know what should be done."

Matthaus, who won his 150th cap in the final game, stated that he hoped that departed coach Erich Ribbeck would not be blamed for the performance of the players.

"It was my mistake to go to the European Championships. I would never have come back had I known what would happen," he said.

"I only hope that Erich Ribbeck is not made a scapegoat," Matthaus added. "The players have hidden behind him."

 

[Nedved!]

Matthaus:

The guy just can't quit

Yeah the partying and drinking incident is indeed shameful. But I just can't take it the he blames everyone else (oh, of course he didn't join them, along with Kahn - nice coincide )

As almost everyone has noticed, he was ineffective in Euro 2000. So if he's willing to admit to that at the same time, and not just trash everyone else (except Ribbeck who's always behind him), I'll still respect him. I have the feeling that he's trying to make people forget about his failure in Euro 2000 by turning the attention to all the other players.

Even Kahn, who performed considerably better in Euro 2000, came up and said that he thought he was largely responsible for German's exit, that he was really disappointing, blablabla...Perhaps taking on the blame much more than necessary.

Please, Matthaus! And now even you said that you're thinking of being the German coach (what would he do then? Sack all the players now since they're useless?)

 

[Driver X]

It's always the experienced players who put their hands up for being responsible when it should be the young immature players who should feel responsible. Not a very professional behaviour.

 

[Debs]

Driver, what are you saying is not professional behaviour? Kahn stepping up to take blame, or those who SHOULKD take the blame not doing so? I admire Kahn immensely, he's what lured me to start following Bayern. Frankly I was shocked that he took the blame, but as I think of it now, perhaps he was trying to be an example. God knows there were players out on that field who were much more to blame than he was!

 

[Nedved!]

Well I suppose it's Matthaus' behavior that's not professional...
On the contrary, Kahn set a good example (but perhaps too extreme) by not blaming others. But blaming himself too much isn't necessary...He made several great saves in the tournament and I won't forget that...While Matthaus seemed to forget that he was also mainly to blame for Germany's poor performance, and blame everyone else, except the coach who always backed him up, of course...
So, ever since that incident, has any of the other players made any comment, then?

 

[Driver X]

I meant the younger players. They like partying more than veterans like Matthaus and Kahn, but they are also proffesionals just like Matthaus and Kahn. Those two managed to act in a professional way, while the other set a bad example as role models. On the other hand, after Germany's weakest ever performances at a Euro Championship, I don't think many fans consider them role models at the moment.

 

[Debs]

I found this little gem yesterday; what do you think about it? Whoever the next nationalmannschaft coach is, he needs to take things like this into consideration.....some players wanted to gut it out, some could have cared less. Which players would you want playing for you??


Euro 2000, Sepp Maier reveals: 'Players were laughing at Kahn'

Legendary German goalkeeper Sepp Maier has
revealed players laughed at Oliver Kahn when he
tried to inspire them for the second half of the
Portugal clash. Maier, the Fa's 'keeper coach,
said: 'At half time Oliver tried to make an
appeal to the players. 'Start fighting now' he
was shouting, 'so we can at least go home with
heads erect.' I looked into the players' eyes.
They were laughing at Kahn. I told Oliver he has
not deserved to play in a hopeless side like this
one. He is the only one ready to take over
responsibility'. But Maier denied players plotted
against team manager Ribbeck in Mallorca.

 

[Nedved!]

So my faith in Kahn is justified and my admiration for him has just arisen to another level!

Still, I find it hard to believe that ALL the players laughed at him (what about Matthaus then? ) It can't be ALL, right? Well I can picture players like ... laughing at him (just fill in the blanks) but not ALL (now, I can't picture Deisler. This is no bias but I just can't picture him).

So, perhaps more info on that incident/article, Debs? Do we really see some extreme generalization in all the comments, articles, etc about Germany, or are they really for real?

 

[Debs]

I'm going to need help finding more on this story, so I'll have to ask my friend in the UK who's a huge Germany fan where she's also finding reports! What I'm finding is at Calciomercato.

No, I don't think they actually meant ALL the players....Lothar wouldn't, nor would Bierhoff, nor would Deisler, perhaps a few others. Nedved, my faith and admiration of him never waivered--I just knew he wasn't one to give up!

 

[Nedved!]

Well, I'm trying to find more info about this one, too.

I read this one from a newspaper, but it was already a translated version so I dunno whether this is the actual quotation in English. But I'm trying my best:

from Bild magazine :
Matthaus: I was urged by several players to take over from Ribbeck as the coach. These players include Babbel, Jeremies, Hamann and Scholl. They wanna be free from Ribbeck off the pitch, and me on the pitch."
To keep things under control, said Matthaus, he then told Ribbeck that many players didn't like his strategies/tactics.
"I deliberately chose not to mention that there's this plan to throw him over," he said.
"However, when Ribbeck asked the team in the closed-meeting, nobody wanted to comment or asked him to discuss about his strategies," he commented.
"Actually, this German team in Euro 2000 really has no character. This is so much different from the other German teams I've played with over 21 years." (my comment: this guy keeps boasting about his past, hoping that people can forget his disastrous performance in Euro 2000. Well, it doesn't work!)
Matthaus regretted his decision to join the team for Euro 2000. "I must apologize for being in the team. I shouldn't have been included, because after I had that long injury, I've lost my touch in the team." (at least something sensible here)
Matthaus' slowness on the pitch, and the fact that his passes were mostly inaccurate, were the main reasons for his teammates to attack him.
Babbel: "Matthaus has lost his playing character. That really showed in the match vs Romania."
Responding to the statement by Babbel, Matthaus still has something to attack him back. Matthaus : Babbel is just trying to cover up his mistake for making a short trip by train to Koln after we were held by Romania. Why didn't he say about his amateurish mistake that led to Shearer's goal?" (again: Why Matthaus himself didn't talk about his more noticeable mistakes? )
Babbel, Jeremies and Hamann reportedly went to a restaurant in Koln and got themselves drunk until early morning after Germany was held by Romania in their opening match.
Another attack to Matthaus is by Christian Ziege , the Middlesbrough player : "Matthaus was simply walking on the pitch when Portugal trashed us. We made lots of inaccurate passes and we were constantly under pressure."
Another tone by the 'keeper Oliver Kahn "Matthaus' presence disrupts the harmony of the team."
What says Matthaus about Kahn? Matthaus: "Olli just managed to create a bad atmosphere via his lowly comments in the papers. He even dared to mention that the success of 96 was because I wasn't there and we know it's not true! Even in 1996 there were some discords between Strunz, Scholl vs Matthias Sammer" ( This statement did it and really gives me the insight to Matthaus. Can't he be gracious in defeat? Klinsmann, Sammer, and co. brought Germany the trophy in 96, Matthaus didn't. He was zilch. Kahn made a very true observation and he can't take it!)

-- end of article --


I hope to find more article on this saga.

 

[Driver X]

LOTHAR MATTHAUS, the most capped player in football history, has hit back at the wave of criticism that he has had to face following his nation's poor performance at Euro 2000.

The 39-year-old has admitted that he should not have been playing at Euro 2000, but has said that he was not the weakest link in the side that went crashing out of the European Championships without registering a win, and losing to arch-rivals England.

The defending champions registered their worst performance by a German side in a professional tournament since the Second World War, and Matthaus was at the top of the list of players to be targeted for blame.

However, speaking in German newspaper Bild, Matthaus spoke of the lack of motivation and determination in the Erich Ribbeck's camp.

He took the opportunity to highlight three players in particular that he felt all under-performed for the national side; Middlesbrough's Christian Ziege, Bayern Munich's Oliver Kahn and Liverpool's new signing Markus Babbel.

"I have never played in a more characterless team in 21 years as a professional," he said, "I'll just say one thing about Ziege's tournament performance, he made more sloppy passes in the game against Romania than I get through in an entire season - despite my age."

He also stated that the actions of Jens Jeremies, Dietmar Hamann, Mehmet Scholl and Babbel, who all tried to oust coach Erich Ribbeck, only went to highlight the deep divisions that existed in the squad, and Kahn's comments to the press only went to ruin morale in the camp.

Speaking of Babbel, he said: "Has he got anything to say about his amateurish error which led to (Alan) Shearer's goal in the 1-0 loss to England?"

Although, Matthaus did admit that he was by no means faultless throughout the tournament, and admitted that he probably should have retired before the competition even got under way.

"In hindsight I'm sorry I even took part in the three games at the tournament," he said."After my injury I had lost my authority in the team. And that's why I offered the boss my immediate resignation, which he turned down."