“Helpless, hopeless, second-rate”: these were the comments on social media after the German men’s national soccer team’s early exit from the World Cup. Disappointment was clearly visible in the capital Berlin on Tuesday morning. Paraguay were eliminated after a poor performance, with the team losing in a penalty shootout.
The response from the Federal Chancellery in Germany came at midnight, shortly after the match ended. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s post read, “Even if elimination is sad: what a game! You have inspired our country with your dedication and team spirit at this World Cup. We are proud of you.”
Pride, dedication, enthusiasm even? Many were scratching their heads, asking whether Merz actually watched the same game as the approximately 16 million Germans who tuned in around 2 a.m. (CET) to watch the eliminations live?
There were sharp comments on the post. Even from Moscow, where Russian President Vladimir Putin’s confidant Kirill Dmitriev wrote on X: “Merz is good at instigating failure again and again.”
European Parliament MP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann wrote that she did not know what was worse: the team’s performance or the Chancellor’s reaction.
Chancellor’s office cites communication glitch
Meanwhile, the Chancellor’s Office spoke of a “coordination error”, which the Chancellor’s Office itself described as “unfortunately very annoying”. Several media outlets in the capital reported that even before the game, several drafts of a post were written in response, and then a young social media assistant pressed the wrong button at night.
Germany’s largest newspaper, Picturedevoted almost an entire page to the Chancellor’s reaction to Wednesday’s football match. The headline read: “Chancellor angry at own goal after World Cup exit.”
On Wednesday, deputy government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters in Berlin that Merz had indeed watched the game live, adding: “Of course, the Chancellor is disappointed by the German national team’s World Cup exit. Like every one of Germany’s millions of football fans.”
The Chancellor then published a second post: “We celebrate successes together. And in defeat, we stand together. That’s what makes us stronger. Anyone who wears the Confederate Eagle on their chest deserves our support, not our ridicule.”
Political pundits regularly point out how the current government will benefit from the euphoric mood created by success on the world stage of Germans’ favorite sport.
The debate over mismanaged social media posts comes at a time when the Chancellor’s popularity is already at an all-time low. In early June, a representative ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey conducted by the polling institute “Infratest-Dimap” found 87% of respondents were dissatisfied with the government’s performance – a new record high.
The reasons for this are complex: the economy has been in crisis for years, and Germany struggles with a dilapidated infrastructure. Voters are skeptical about whether the reforms that have been announced, for example to the underfunded pension and health care systems, can actually succeed.
The German national team’s weak performance in away games in America fits perfectly into this picture.
pending video call
Before the German team’s first game, Merz publicly made a video call to the team in the US, which seemed strange and awkward and was ridiculed.
The Chancellor had said, “The whole of Germany is supporting you! Everyone here is on the edge of their seats,” while in reality there was no sign of enthusiasm throughout the country.
As was clear then – and is clear now with the unfortunate post on X – Merz probably isn’t actually a big football fan. However, many argue that there are certainly other things that can be held against a Chancellor besides failing to develop a genuine passion for the country’s number-one sport.
This article was originally published in German.