Germany failed at the 2022 World Cup due to 'internal conflicts'

Coach Hansi Flick was accused of favoring a group of Bayern players, causing the German squad for the 2022 World Cup to split into two factions.

According toBild, problems arose before the 1-2 loss to Japan in the opening round of the 2022 World Cup group stage. After FIFA announced that it would punish teams if they used the OneLove captain's armband, Germany's members met the evening before the opening match.

Here, Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka - two Bayern players - suggested that the whole team make a gesture to protest FIFA. Many German players did not want to join in any political statement, but after Joshua Kimmich - another Bayern player - responded, the whole team unanimously put their hands over their mouths during a souvenir photo before the match at Khalifa Stadium on November 23.

Many German players reluctantly joined the collective gagging at Khalifa Stadium on November 23, initiated by a group of Bayern members to protest FIFA's ban on the "One Love" captain's armband. Photo:Reuters

During the match, many players questioned Flick's decision to replace Ilkay Gundogan - who played well and scored the opening penalty in the first half - in the 67th minute. This decision caused Germany to lose control of the midfield, and then lose due to two goals in the last 8 minutes. Gundogan and other players who did not wear Bayern shirts thought that Flick made such a substitution just to please his favorite player Goretzka.

Bildalso emphasized that "Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kai Havertz were disappointed to be left on the bench". In particular, Ter Stegen was angry because his brilliant performance at Barca could not convince Flick - who continued to give the starting position to Bayern's 36-year-old goalkeeper, Neuer.

Many German reserve players are disappointed because they are not used at the 2022 World Cup. Photo:Reuters

Many German players were also unhappy when Niklas Sule kept his starting position in the match against Spain. Before that, Sule himself made a positional error, allowing striker Takuma Asano to break the offside trap and score the winning goal for Japan 2-1. Instead, Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck became the "scapegoat" when he was relegated to the bench in the second match.

Center-back Matthias Ginter, with 47 caps and a member of the 2014 World Cup-winning squad, was almost forgotten at Qatar 2022. He only played a few minutes at the end of the match against Costa Rica when everything was already decided.

The internal conflict within Germany has made Flick's position even more shaky, in addition to the professional issues at the 2022 World Cup. But according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, the German Football Association (DFB) will continue to put its trust in Flick, after a crisis management meeting at its headquarters in Frankfurt on the morning of December 7. The 57-year-old coach's mission is to help Germany win Euro 2024, which will be held on home soil.

Flick (in white shirt) directs the German team before a training session in Doha during the 2022 World Cup. Photo:Reuters

Flick was Joachim Low's assistant on the German coaching staff that won the 2014 World Cup. He made a splash in his two seasons leading Bayern, including a six-title win in the 2019-2020 season, including the Bundesliga, German National Cup, Champions League, German Super Cup, European Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

After Low left in the summer of 2021, Flick was appointed as his replacement, and with the German team easily qualified to win the first ticket in the European region to the 2022 World Cup. However, this coach was not successful in the final round in Qatar. Germany lost 1-2 to Japan in the opening match, struggled to draw 1-1 with Spain before beating Costa Rica 4-2 in the final round and was eliminated due to losing the extra index, only finishing third in Group E - the group of death of the tournament.