Steg is coming down the stairs from the hall. “At the moment we could actually skip these press conferences,” he mumbles. He walks across the street to the open-air section of the MediaClub, an artificial beach directly along the Spree, complete with a splash pool and a screen that shows the Spaniards having their way with the Ukrainians. Steg has to speak briefly with the chancellor; then he sits down in a red lounge chair and rolls up his sleeves.
He says there is indeed an incredible lightness and carefreeness in the country; that people apparently can’t tear themselves away from such a world event, that even politics can’t do it either.
When the chancellor opens the cabinet meeting in the morning, she speaks first of the pudgy Ronaldo, whose weight has already been identified as a problem even by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva – and evidently for good reason. That much she learned the previous evening at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Only then does she transition to the topic of parental benefits.
Steg says that politics has its own rhythm, which can’t be changed from the outside, and that the business of governing is going on as usual. On the other hand, it’s wrong to think that politics could use the World Cup to its advantage, that the enthusiasm could somehow be redirected to politics. “People’s fears and worries may recede somewhat into the background now,” says Steg. “But that passes quickly. You can’t build anything on it.”
The actual federal press conference now takes place almost every day at the ICC [International Congress Center] in Berlin. At the moment it’s the “German Soccer League Media Center.” Here, national coach Jürgen Klinsmann speaks to reporters. Here, sentences are uttered that electrify Germany. And this is also where patriotism is being stoked.
On Wednesday, before the game against Poland, Klinsmann said at the media center: “It’s nice to see that we have a shared dream. I know that from the U.S.* On Independence Day, the fourth of July, there are flags everywhere. Yes, that’s nice. I put the German flag out [on that day].”
Is all of Germany now being Americanized by Klinsmann? He has already done it to the team, with American fitness programs and an American corporate-identity ideology. That often drew condescending smiles, but at the moment it seems to be a gain for German soccer.
It is this new combination of ease and passion that few foreigners would have believed the Germans capable of. Germany used to play quite unimaginatively, doggedly; Germany had its sights on nothing but results, and that’s why German soccer players are still described as tanks in England, Spain, or Italy. This time, however, the Germans are surprising the others, and probably themselves, as well, with the fact that a different model is possible: to play for victory –up to the last minute – with energy, with speed, with imagination.
Are reforms possible in this country, after all? For that’s precisely what Jürgen Klinsmann wanted: a Germany that plays, not one that sits back on defense. A Germany that’s not paralyzed by fear of failure, a Germany that comes out full of hope and with an idea. An inspiring Germany on the field, an enthusiastic Germany in the stands. “The mood in Germany is gigantic, in every city it’s one big party,” said Klinsmann after the 1:0 victory against Poland, after his leaps in front of the bench, the final whistle, “these are moments you won’t forget.”
*Jürgen Klinsmann is married to an American and resides in California – eds.
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